Changings - PewDiepie Fanfic
by ArtistForever
Summary: When Piggeh and Jennifer sleep together in an attempt to make Pewdie jealous, they promise each other that their friendship won't change. But when unfortunate events unfold, things will change for everyone. Amidst all the chaos, will their friendship change as well? Rated T for mild sexual themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The torches did little to permeate the darkness of the large stone room nestled deep under the foundation of Brennenburg. Most shadows run when light is near, but the darkness of this one room seemed to ignore the light and stayed right where they were, darkening the room to almost unearthly proportions. The only things that obeyed the light were the glittering blade of the guillotine and the tarnished meat hooks that hung chained to the ceiling. This was the torture chamber, and this is where most of the Teleporting Naked Guys resided. The exposed bodies of Alexander's victims carpeted the floor of the chamber in puddles of their clotting blood. As the most social of Amnesia's monsters, the creatures preferred to stick together, and it was well known that they had a very pack-like mentality to them; which of course gave them an advantage when they were hunting down Pewdie for a jump scare.

As the pack of nudists slumbered, one among them stirred. This one may have been one of them, but it was obvious she was not…she was clothed. Jennifer lifted her head off the cobblestone floor and blinked her silver eyes to clear her vision. As the fuzz cleared from her mind, she became aware of the overpowering stench of decay in the air around her, and as she attempted to move her limbs, she realized she was sprawled on her stomach over the body of a Teleporting Naked Guy. Jennifer sighed as she remembered where she was, and what had happened earlier that day. It may have been unpleasant, but hopefully her plan would work. She knew Pewdie would pass through this room on this path through the castle, so she would stay just like this until he came.

Jennifer didn't move a single muscle for hours. The Teleporting Naked Guy's body was incredibly uncomfortable to lie on, and the smell of rotting flesh was just beginning to make her feel dizzy, when from the trapdoor in the ceiling an old familiar face fell screaming. Pewdie landed hard on the stone floor, but quickly got to his feet. It was one of those rare occasions when Stephano wasn't with him, either having been separated from him or simply left unfound. Pewdie sipped down a small bottle of laudanum to cure his injuries and held up his lantern.

"God, this place is creepy." He said to himself. "Look at this, Teleporting Naked Guys everywhere!"

Pewdie went around giving wimpy kicks to the teleporters' ribs and examining the instruments of torture he found himself surrounded by. He began running his hands along the damp walls blindly.

"Where is the door?" He asked himself. "There has to be a door. If there _is_ one I can't _see_ it because it's so freaking dark!"

Jennifer was glad it was dark; at least it allowed her time to primp before Pewdie saw her. As Pewdie came within sight of her, she closed her eyes and pretended she was asleep. If this plan didn't work, she didn't know what would.

"Jennifer!" Pewdie's outraged gasp came from behind the halo of lantern light. "I told you! No sleeping with the Teleporting Naked Guys!"

Jennifer "woke up" and stretched casually on top of her partner. "Oh. Hi there, Pewdie. I didn't even hear you come in."

"How could you?" Pewdie accused in his joking sort of way, pointing a finger at Jennifer.

"I couldn't help myself." Jennifer forced herself to sound entranced by the corpse beneath her. "He was just so…uh…attractive that I couldn't say no."

"And you call yourself a Bro!" Pewdie shook his head at Jennifer and began to nonchalantly walk away. "What a disgrace."

Jennifer sat up and shoved the Teleporting Naked Guy away. This was not going according to plan; she needed to say something to get Pewdie to stay. "I'm sorry, Pewdie!" She called after the Swede. "I was just trying to make you jealous!"

"Whatever, Jennifer." Pewdie said as he found the doorway out. "I don't really care."

As the door slammed, Jennifer sighed and shook the dust and dirt out of her hair. Well, that plan was a total failure. To think she spent an entire afternoon with a Teleporting Naked Guy for nothing was enough to make her gag. One had no idea just how cold a corpse was until they slept with a Teleporting Naked Guy. Having had her fill of the disgusting torture chamber, Jenifer got up and went to the back wall of the chamber. Jennifer pressed a stone that only she, as a rock, could tell was out of place and exited the room through a secret passageway that opened up.

When Jennifer came out the other end of the passageway she found herself in the storage barracks of the castle. Room upon room of shelves lined with food and drink filled the corridors. It was old and dank, but it was the part of the castle she called home. A rock could call just about anywhere home, but Jennifer's fellow rock brethren no longer welcomed her in the garden where most of her kind lived. They had isolated Jennifer from the day she told them of her love for Pewdie, for a rock to love a human was simply an abomination.

Jennifer found herself a cozy little corner that was well hidden in the back of a storage room and settled down for some rest. The main problem with living in the lower sections of Brennenburg was that plenty of Gatherers hung out around there and the need to hide was constant. Jennifer was just settling down, when a sudden voice from the ceiling made her jump:

"Hey there, Jen. 'Sup?"

"Piggeh, must you always scare me like that?" Jennifer placed a palm on her pounding heart as she glanced up at the pink haired man dangling by his shirt collar on the end of a meat hook.

"Yeh, 'cause that's what I do!" Piggeh sneered. He grabbed his collar, hoisted himself off the hook and dropped to the ground near Jennifer. He looked up at the hook and snickered. "I hate it when I end up there." He said. Piggeh put a hand on his hip and pointed playfully at Jennifer. "Where were you today? I didn't see you anywhere."

Jennifer blushed hard. Piggeh was the only other Bro who lived in the storage barracks, lived in exile from the others, so naturally they spent a lot of time with each other. In all honesty, it was a miracle they got along in the first place. The two of them were so different, and yet so close. Piggeh was always the person Jennifer came to for comfort and guidance when the world proved too much for her; and she never said it, but he was also her closest friend.

"I was…just…in the dungeon." Jennifer cleared her throat and twiddled her hair between her fingers.

"You know I don't like it when you go there alone, Jen." Piggeh said, leaning on his elbow against the wall and supporting his head on his hand. "What were 'ya doin'?"

"That's none of your business." Jennifer said as she stood to look her friend in the eye. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying her best to look assertive. Jennifer knew deep down that withholding information from Piggeh was pointless, he could read her as easily as a book.

Piggeh raised an eyebrow at Jennifer and chuckled. "Alright." He shrugged. "So don't tell me. I'll just figure it out myself."

Piggeh seized Jennifer's sleeve and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. "Piggeh!" Jennifer cried, and pulled her arm back.

"You smell like dead people." Piggeh said bluntly.

"Gee thanks, Piggeh." Jennifer rolled her eyes.

Piggeh grinned. "Anything you wanna confess?"

"Confess?!" Jennifer felt beads of sweat form on her forehead. "N-No."

"Ya know if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were hanging around the Teleporting Naked Guys." Piggeh sat back and watched Jennifer flip out.

"Are you crazy?!" Jennifer wrung her hands, flushing crimson with the embarrassment of being found out. "W-Why would I be around them?!"

"You tell me." Piggeh looked at Jennifer with expectation, raising a cocky eyebrow.

Jennifer glared at Piggeh out of the corner of her eye. "Promise not to laugh?"

"Nope." Piggeh smirked widely.

"Well…" Jennifer took a deep breath. "I slept with one of them. There, satisfied?"

Piggeh was on the floor in an instant, laughing his brains out. He was indeed one to frequently be seen as awkward, but this by far topped anything else he might've done. He flailed around like a fish, kicking his legs and holding his aching sides (which was saying something considering he lived with only half of his ribs still intact). Jennifer huffed and put her hands on her hips.

"Would you get a hold of yourself?" She sighed in annoyance. "I was only trying to make Pewdie jealous."

"Did…..it…..work?" Piggeh gasped for air as he rolled around on the floor.

"Not…entirely." Jennifer admitted with a sense of humiliation. "Overall I'd say no. No it didn't."

By now Piggeh was beginning to calm down from his little laughing fit. "I'm not surprised." He said as he got himself back on his feet and sighed deeply in content. "You won't be getting anyone jealous if you sleep with the enemy. Unless, ya know, you do it with a barrel."

"Augh, gross!" Jennifer grimaced in disgust. "Don't even go there!"

"Exactly my point." Piggeh said. "Listen, Jen. If you really want to make Pewds jealous, then you're gonna have to do the dirty with one of his bros."

"Woah, wait!" Jennifer held out her hand to halt the conversation. "You mean like _us_ bros?"

"Yeah."

"B-b-b-but!" Jennifer stepped back a bit." They…They're _my_ bros too! It would…just be so wrong!"

"You gotta do what you gotta do."

"And you're sure it's the _only_ way to make Pewdie jealous?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Uh…" Jennifer slapped her palm into her forehead, exasperated. Reluctantly letting out her breath, she spoke; "Fine then…I'll do it; but it's just so hard to choose between my friends for something like this!"

Jennifer looked up and was startled to see Piggeh suddenly next to her, a mischievous gleam lighting up his eyes. Jennifer eyed him curiously.

"Piggeh…what are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything." Piggeh said. "Why would you think I was doing anything?" He gently brushed Jennifer's hair behind her ear.

"I'm not up for your games right now." Jennifer said, squirming a bit in awkwardness. "I'm sort of dealing with a problem here."

"This isn't a game, Jen." Piggeh said. "I'm doing you a favor."

"A favor?" Jennifer pushed Piggeh's hand away from her. "What favor?"

"I'm making the choice so you don't have to." Piggeh ignored Jennifer's resistance and caressed her pale cheek.

Jennifer leaned away from her friend and gave him a very weirded-out look. "What…choice?"

Piggeh leaned in closer to Jennifer and touched his lips to her ear. "Who you're gonna sleep with." He whispered.

"No way!" Jennifer angrily shoved her friend off of her. "Not with you. I'll sooner sleep with a Grunt than with you."

"And why's that?" Piggeh snickered.

"Because…well, because…"

"Because you know me too well?"

Jennifer looked away and nodded. "I'm afraid it would ruin our friendship. You know how awkward things are later. If I slept with you, things would never be the same between us."

"But that's exactly _why_ you should sleep with me!" Piggeh said. "I've had plenty of one night stands that didn't mean anything; and things never get awkward when they're with me. Believe me, Jen. This will be no different."

Jennifer hesitated.

"Besides," Piggeh continued. "I'm the Bro you know the best. Wouldn't you rather have it done with me than with the bros you hardly ever see?"

Jennifer looked at Piggeh again. She knew the deed had to be done if she was going to make Pewdie jealous, and she knew that trying to seduce any of her other Bros was going to be insanely difficult. Piggeh made a very good argument. He had been around much more than she had, so things like this didn't really matter to him. They just happened and then he moved on. Nothing about their relationship would change; that's what he promised.

Piggeh advanced on Jennifer again, putting his hands on her waist. Jennifer didn't resist him this time. "So whatd'ya say?"

Jennifer sighed. "You swear that this won't change anything, right?"

"Cross my heart."

Jennifer bit her lip, closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "Okay. Let's just do this quick and get it over with."

"Oh, but what's the fun of speeding through it?" Piggeh asked seductively as he pressed Jennifer against the wall with his body. "I usually prefer to, ya know, take my time."

Piggeh began running his hands up the rock girl's torso. Jennifer's face began to flush as she felt his hot breath on her neck in the darkness.

"O-Okay then." She said softly. "We'll…take our time."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

There was silence. Only the ambient howl of the wind roamed the hallways of the lower levels, traveling in an echo from one room to the next. Dank, cave-like air emanated off the stone walls and created a low-hanging fog along the floor. Streaks of light flittered in through cracks in the crumpling walls and ceiling, illuminating floating specks of dust that hung in the air like enchanted snowflakes. For once the storage barracks seemed tranquil, its eerie demeanor temporarily masked by morning.

A silver ray of sun peeked its way into the foggy barracks by means of a tiny crack in the ceiling, shining down onto the sleeping face of a familiar rock girl. Sensing the offensive sunlight against her eyelid, Jennifer grimaced and turned her face away. It was no use. The sliver of light continued to intrude on her rest, as if it were requesting her to awaken. Her rest permanently disturbed, Jennifer blinked open her eyes; their irises glinting just as silver as the sunlight. Stretching, she groaned and shifted her position as she prepared to rise or the new day.

As she shifted she disturbed the person asleep next to her on the floor, making him stir. Jennifer looked over her shoulder at this person. Piggeh settled back into unconsciousness, and Jennifer seized the chance to pull herself to her feet and begin redressing. She had been hoping to avoid seeing Piggeh the morning after their deal was carried out. No matter what Piggeh said, Jennifer found it far too uncomfortable waking up undressed next to her best friend.

Jennifer smoothed her black blouse around her torso, combed her hair with her fingers, and pulled on her black shoes. Tip-toeing out of the room, Jennifer rounded the corner and treaded the fog down the corridor. She had no idea what time it was, only that it was morning. Pewdie usually came to Brennenburg in the afternoon or at night, so Jennifer had a long wait ahead of her. The wait would be even harder today; Jennifer couldn't wait to see the reaction on Pewdie's face when she told him what she and Piggeh had done last night. She had no doubt that this was her chance to finally make him jealous.

Jennifer stopped at the end of the corridor where the large stone staircase to the upper levels sat. The black-haired rock girl looked around her cautiously. Right now it was too early for the Gatherers to be lurking about, but one could never be too careful. Jennifer stepped out of the river of fog and began ascending the stairway. She didn't know exactly what she was going there for but anything was better than sitting in the dank, dusty barracks all day. At the top of the staircase Jennifer unlatched the heavy door separating her from the rest of the castle. Just beyond the door was a long carpeted hallway. Suits of armor lined either side of the ominous passageway.

Jennifer hid behind her hair as she passed by the menacing statues, who turned their metal heads to watch her as she passed them. Eagerly shutting the exit door behind her, Jennifer found herself in the infamous Back Hall. The Back Hall was the most peaceful place in all of Brennenburg. No Gatherers ever seemed to go there and no Barrels lay in ambush. Jennifer crossed the marble floor of the grand room and sat on the edge of the pool that sat in the center of it. The pool had unsettling features, such as the likeness of a giant centipede with a babyish face and a pair of disembodied legs, but the water it held was cool and clear just the same. Jennifer dipped her hand into the water, collecting it in the palm of her hand, then brought it up to her lips to drink. Her thirst quenched, she then focused on her hunger. Spying the kitchen doors on the other side of the room, Jennifer made her way over there.

The kitchen was warm and steamy. A fire blazed in the mantle, roasting a human torso that hung over it on a spit. Tables cluttered with knifes and various bags of unknown food items surrounded every wall. Jennifer selected a bag off the nearest table and reached inside, withdrawing her hand clutching a bright red apple. Most of the food in Brennenburg was rotten, so to find something edible was celebrated.

The rock girl quickly chomped the apple down to its core and then tossed it into the fire. Her breakfast eaten, Jennifer left the kitchen. As she crossed the threshold, she noticed someone sitting on the edge of the pool. Piggeh. Who else could it be? Jennifer ducked down and tried to slink away unnoticed, but Piggeh spotted her all the same.

"Good morning, Jen." Piggeh called out to his friend.

Jennifer flinched in agitation. There was no escaping now. "Good morning." She replied.

She waited for a response, but there was none. Half of Jennifer was relieved, she had expected Piggeh to make some sort of rude comment about last night's ordeal, but at the same time it wasn't like him not to brag about his "bedroom accomplishments". Jennifer faced Piggeh.

"You're not going to say anything?" She asked him.

Piggeh took a drink from the pool similarly to how Jennifer did. "About what?"

Jennifer raised an eyebrow. Something was certainly up, there was no way he'd forgotten. "Last night."

"Do you want me to say something about it?" Piggeh asked.

Jennifer reached back into the kitchen and retrieved another ripe apple. "No. But…this isn't like you."

Jennifer sat across the pool from Piggeh and tossed him the apple. Piggeh took a grateful bite out of his breakfast.

"Hey," He said with his mouth full. "I said nothing would change, right? So nothing's changed."

Jennifer smiled and nodded. Piggeh had kept his promise. It was like last night had never happened. This morning it was just the two of them sitting there as bros, greeting the new day.

* * *

Later that afternoon the glow of lantern light illuminated the hallway that Jennifer hid in. Earlier the threat of Gatherers had scared her out of the residential wing of the castle and had chased her into hiding inside a secret passageway inside the walls. When the secret door opened up and the light of Pewdie's lantern spilled in, Jennifer hadn't realized how fast it had gotten so late. Wanting to easily get his attention, Jennifer ducked out the other end of the passage and waited there so that she would be the first thing he saw when he exited the tunnel. After a few brief moments Pewdie exited the passageway closely followed by Stephano, whom he had managed to find this time around. Pewdie noticed Jennifer at once and sarcastically rolled his eyes in the typical routine of how he greeted her.

"What do you want, Jennifer?" He asked her.

This was Jennifer's chance! She was usually very shy and timid around PewDiepie, but she felt as though she finally had him where she wanted him. She grinned ear-to-ear, her shyness hardly having any effect on her enthusiasm. "Guess what I did, Pewdie?" She asked him in return.

"I don't care." He responded as he and Stephano ventured down a dark hallway.

Jennifer chased after them. "I did something, Pewdie!" She insisted. "Something you probably wouldn't like too much."

Pewdie shoved her out of his way, as always unimpressed by what she was saying. He had half a mind to pick her up and toss her down the stairs. At least it would shut her up.

"Do you wanna know what I did?" Jennifer inquired of her love, batting her eyelashes innocently.

"No!" Both Swede and statue turned and barked in unison at the thin rock girl.

Jennifer's persistence was unmoved. "Well I'll tell you anyway." She said, lagging behind the adventurers as they entered a room. "So here it goes."

Jennifer cleared her throat and took a deep breath. This was it! "I slept with Piggeh last night!"

The adventurers paused and looked at Jennifer, eyebrows raised. Jennifer put her hands behind her back and rocked on her feet, still grinning. Pewdie and Stephano looked from Jennifer, to each other, then back to Jennifer. Jennifer stopped rocking. This wasn't exactly the reaction she had hoped for. Finally Pewdie spoke:

"You do realize that pig will bang anything that moves, right?"

"Yes." Jennifer twirled her hair, her shyness beginning to possess her. "But I…"

"He hits on anyone and anything." Stephano added. "Trust me, rock, you're nothing new to him."

"C'mon, let's just go." Pewdie said, and led the duo away.

Jennifer brushed back her hair and sighed in defeat. Another plan. Another hope. Another failure. Jennifer didn't need to cry at this failure, the disappointment alone spoke for itself. She felt Piggeh's arms wrap around her shoulders; he had been watching from somewhere in the darkness. Jennifer reached up and touched the hands that met around her neck. Yep, nothing had changed. She could still count on him to be there for her when the going got tough.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The apple's skin snapped crisply as Jennifer sank her grey tinted teeth into it. Wavering light from the mantle flickered on the kitchen walls, casting her shadow against the cobblestones. Pacing tensely from one side of the kitchen to the other, Jennifer continued to tear chunks of flesh from the apple until presently her hand clutched the skinny core. She aimlessly tossed the core onto the floor, adding it to the collection of food remains that was collecting around her pacing feet. Without stopping she grabbed a moldy potato from the nearest table and hastily began going to work on it as well.

Piggeh leaned against the threshold, slightly rotten apple in hand, sympathetically observing his friend wear a rut in the floor. It was currently a new morning, mere hours after Jennifer's crushing failure with Pewdie. In an attempt to cope with her disappointment, Jennifer was in the midst of one of her stress eating episodes. They weren't very common, only occurring when she was very upset. She would try to eat her feelings away, but it never helped. Pewdie often caught her in the act during these episodes, which motivated him to start calling her fat in the first place. Of course, Jennifer had the strong metabolism of a rock so these binges hardly took a toll on her figure at all. All the same, Piggeh still hated to see her like this.

"Think you've had enough to eat, Jen?" He asked with a mild snicker.

"No." Jennifer said as she took another bite out of the potato.

"You don't have to beat yourself up over one little let down." Piggeh said as he bit off a part of his apple, gagging a bit at its bitter taste. "There's always next time."

"Yes, but this is the hundredth time it's happened!" Jennifer swallowed down another mouthful of moldy starch. "Not to mention that _this_ time was a bit of a bigger let down than usual."

"You'll be fine." Piggeh reassured her. "You're always fine when things like this happen."

"Still." Jennifer said through a full mouth. She scarfed down the last of her potato and wiped off the specks of white mold that were left on her fingers on her black pants. She hastily snatched up another apple and tore a hunk out of it.

Piggeh eyed the skeletons of apple cores littered on the ground. "Seriously, Jen, you oughta stop."

"I'm still hungry." Jennifer insisted hardheadedly.

"No you're not." Piggeh said sternly, pausing his breakfast for a bit. "You're just forcing yourself to eat, and if you don't stop soon you know what'll hap-."

Jennifer suddenly dropped the uneaten half of the apple and dove for a tin bucket sitting beside the mantle.

"-pen."

Immediately Jennifer was seized by a violent attack of vomiting and Piggeh had to rush over to her to hold her hair back. It wasn't pretty, but this meant that her stressed-out binge was over. They all ended this way, with Jennifer eating herself completely sick. After the lurching was over Jennifer blinked her watering eyes and lifted her face out of the bucket. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and coughed to get rid of the burning in her throat. Piggeh released her hair, letting it fall back over her shoulders, and tenderly patted her on the back.

"You feel okay?" He inquired of the pale rock girl.

"I think I need to lie down." Jennifer said woozily, massaging her aching temples.

Piggeh helped Jennifer to her feet and led her outside into the Back Hall. He sat her down on the edge of the pool and advised her to drink. The cold water soothed Jennifer's burning throat and settled her churning stomach a little.

"See what happens when you do that?" Piggeh said with a small smile of I-told-you-so on his lips. "You end up getting sick."

"I know, I know." Jennifer waved Piggeh away as she gagged again. "Could I please just go downstairs?"

"I'm not gonna leave you down there alone if you're sick." Piggeh said. "There's too many Bros down there. Why don't we just stay in here where it's safe?"

"There's no place to sleep in here." Jennifer protested.

"There's no place to sleep downstairs either, but we make it work." Piggeh chuckled. He slid down to the floor and sat against the pool. He smiled up at Jennifer and patted his shoulder invitingly. "Here. If you want to go back to sleep, you can just lean on me."

Jennifer probably would've refused Piggeh's offer, but the nausea was messing with her head; sapping her energy and leaving her with a very tired feeling. Sighing out a tiny yawn, Jennifer nodded and joined her friend on the floor. Using his shoulder as a pillow, she curled up against him and began dozing off. She had fallen asleep next to Piggeh many times in the past, usually whist waiting for Pewdie to show up, and it gave her as much comfort as a warm bed would.

Piggeh smiled as he watched Jennifer fall asleep, her strained and nauseated face relaxing into a peaceful emotionlessness. He would wake her before the morning ended, knowing she wouldn't want to miss a chance to see Pewdie again no matter what may have happened the day before. Piggeh couldn't understand how Jennifer could fixate so intently on just one person. He'd never been able to focus his attention on just one person at a time and found the idea of being with one person forever very boring.

Piggeh chuckled a bit as Jennifer stirred in her sleep. He wondered what went through Jennifer's head when she thought of Pewdie, and what kinds of feelings she felt for him. Obviously they were very powerful thoughts and feelings, as Jennifer seemed perfectly fine with hurting herself over him; eating until it made her physically sick. Piggeh couldn't understand it, and it made him angry. Next time, he told himself, he would tackle Jennifer to the ground if he ever saw her stress eating again. The door at the top of the Back Hall's grand staircase opened and closed. Piggeh turned and saw a familiar figure coming down the stairs, its face covered by a leather bound book. The scrawny figure, clad in a green vest and trousers, stepped of the steps and began rounding the corner.

"Morning, Mr. Chair." Piggeh called out to his old friend.

Mr. Chair pulled the book away from his face and look around. Noticing Piggeh, he gave a little laugh and waved. "Good morning, Piggeh." He answered back. His eyes fell on Jennifer and he looked concerned. "Is Jennifer alright?"

"She's fine." Piggeh replied as Mr. Chair came to stand next to them. "She's just a little sick; ate too much again."

Mr. Chair marked his place in the book and closed it. Preparing to change the subject to a topic he knew would be rather awkward, he cleared his throat. "So," He said in his nasally voice. "I heard you two…uh…" He gestured to Piggeh and Jennifer, a rosy hue forming on his cheeks in embarrassment.

"Who told you?" Piggeh questioned, raising an eyebrow at his bro.

"Stephano did." Mr. Chair admitted, never liking to snitch on his best bro. "Is it true?"

"Yeah." Piggeh shrugged.

"But I thought you guys were just bros." Mr. Chair looked confused, but at the same time he was holding back laughter.

"We are; I was just doing her a favor." Piggeh explained. "She wanted to make Pewdie jealous, so I told her sleeping with me would do the trick."

Mr. Chair gaped at Piggeh. "Piggeh, I hate to sound rude, but did you honestly think that would work? Everyone in Brennenburg knows how you are. You could honestly screw a plant and no one would be surprised."

"Well I wasn't going to make her do it with someone she barely knows." Piggeh said defensively. There were times he and Mr. Chair got along, but there were times like this when their personalities clashed too much for comfort. "I thought it was the best way to go."

Mr. Chair turned around and took a few steps away, cooling his temper as best as he could. Arguing about something that he had no part in was pointless to him, so he decided to agree to disagree with Piggeh. Taking a deep, cleansing breath he wheeled around. "If that was what you thought the wisest thing to do was, then I respect your decision. Let's leave it at that."

Mr. Chair was friends with Jennifer as well, but he lived in the residential wing of Brennenburg and never talked to her much at all. Seeing as how their friendship was more of a distant one, Mr. Chair saw Jennifer's sad attempts to grab Pewdie's attention as proof of a sick obsession with him. Piggeh had often tried to convince him otherwise, but Mr. Chair was not one to change his opinions easily and remained grounded in his views of Jennifer. If Piggeh wanted to fuel Jennifer's unhealthy obsession by helping her in her attempts to nap Pewdie, then who was he to stop him?

"I…have to get going." Mr. Chair said, adjusting his glasses. He began his trek across the marble again.

"Where are you off to?" Piggeh asked him.

"The library." Mr. Chair replied. "Couldn't you guess?"

"I guess so." Piggeh smirked. All the bros knew that Mr. Chair's favorite room in the castle was the library; he was a total bookworm.

Mr. Chair rounded the corner of the grand staircase and disappeared into two giant wooden doors that were hidden underneath the stairs. The doors opened with a low creak and then slammed shut with a loud bang. Jennifer jolted at the sound of the doors closing and lifted her head off of Piggeh's shoulder.

"What is it?" She asked drowsily.

"It was nothing, Jen, just the library doors." Piggeh said.

"Mr. Chair?"

"Mmm-hmm. Feeling better?"

"Yeah, actually." Jennifer said, realizing that the churning in her organs was gone. "Much better. What time is it?"

"Almost noon." Piggeh said. "Feel like getting up and moving around?"

"Noon?!" Jennifer cried. "I have to get to the residential wing, Pewdie will be here soon!" She sprang to her feet and began sprinting up the grand staircase. "Thanks, Piggeh!" She said over her shoulder as she opened the latched door at the top of the stairs. "Bye!"

"See 'ya." Piggeh said as the door closed behind Jennifer. After she was gone he shook his head and laughed quietly. "Jen, I will never understand you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Jennifer creaked open the library doors hesitantly until a tiny sliver of candlelight shone through. Trying her best to remain quiet, Jennifer peeked through the ajar door. Focusing her eyes past the bright light of the candles, all she could see were shelves of books. Jennifer didn't want to press forward, knowing very well how upset Mr. Chair got when his reading was disturbed, but she had to. This was important.

Cause for concern had first arisen the day after Jennifer's stress binge, when she had felt the need to vomit again. She had found it odd that her sickness returned long after she had binged, but it was obvious that the consumption of so much rotten food had taken its toll and given her food poisoning. Piggeh had helped her find laudanum and by afternoon she had returned to normal. However, the next morning the same sickness returned and once again Jennifer became sick to her stomach. She wasn't feverish and by afternoon she was fine, so Piggeh had assured her that it was just the remains of her food poisoning working its way out of her system. Jennifer accepted this answer, but she started to have serious doubts about it when day after day the same events occurred.

Jenifer stopped telling Piggeh about her bouts of nausea, trying not to scare him, as she herself was beginning to get scared. Persistent nausea was a symptom of the flu, a disease that had long been cured in Pewdie's world but was still a very serious thing at Brennenburg. Having the flu was practically a death sentence for anyone in Amnesia, and Jennifer was beginning to think she had caught it. Fearing for her health, Jennifer had decided to seek answers from Mr. Chair, who was the go-to person for things of this nature. He read many medical and anatomy books, and could label an illness at a glance. Surely _he_ could tell Jennifer if she had caught the dreaded disease.

Biting her lip anxiously, Jennifer nudged the doors open and slipped inside quiet as a shadow. Dozens of candles were placed helter-skelter around the library; on shelves, on desks, on stacks of books piled high as the chandelier. Cobwebs sat in dark corners, their long-legged tenants lying in wait for their next meal. Jennifer pressed her hand against her throat as a ripple of nausea washed over her. It was still early morning, and it was beginning again. When the feeling passed, Jennifer cleared her throat loudly. Her voice echoed through the seemingly empty library;

"Hello? Mr. Chair, are you here?"

There was scuffling behind a bookshelf nearby. A stack of books moved and walked on scrawny legs to a desk, where they lowered themselves down to reveal Mr. Chair behind them. He took off his glasses and examined them by candlelight before placing them back over his eyes.

"Mr. Chair?" Jennifer squeaked out nervously.

Mr. Chair side-glanced Jennifer, looking not too amused, and turned his attention back to his books. Jennifer, figuring it was the only way to get his attention, picked a book off of a nearby stationary and approached Mr. Chair with it. Stopping next to him, she held out the book with a friendly smile. Mr. Chair noticed the book before he noticed who was holding it. Giving a grateful nod to the rock girl, he took the book and added it to the pile in front of him. He sat down eagerly at the desk and began flipping through the first book his hand landed on. Jennifer bit her lip for a second time and made the first attempt at a conversation.

"I-I hope I'm not disturbing you," She said. Mr. Chair didn't even look at her, too wrapped up in the book to listen. "But I need to talk to you."

Mr. Chair wetted his thumb and flipped to the next chapter of the novel. Jennifer picked up a book and pretended to do the same. In reality she was just looking at the illustrations. When Mr. Chair still didn't answer her, she decided to continue on her own.

"I think I'm getting sick with the flu." She said over the top of the book.

Now Mr. Chair was listening. "You do?" He asked, looking away from his book. "How come?"

"I've been waking up feeling sick ever since I binged."

"Wait a minute…" Mr. Chair looked at Jennifer through the glossy glare of his lenses. "You mean you're _still _feeling sick from that?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Jennifer began to gag again. "At first I thought it might've been food poisoning, but it hasn't been going away."

Mr. Chair marked his place and slowly set his book down, looking deep in thought. Jennifer gulped down the nausea and shivered in discomfort.

"I'm scared." She said softly.

"Don't be." Mr. Chair said as he rose from the desk. He motioned for Jennifer to follow him. "This way."

Mr. Chair took up a candle and led Jennifer between two shelves filled with dusty old books. Holding up the candle, he scanned over the leather spines of the books until he selected one. Pulling the manuscript from its place on the shelf in a cloud of dust, Mr. Chair opened the crackling cover and scrolled through the pages' content. Finding the page he needed to find, Mr. Chair placed his finger on a paragraph and looked over his glasses at Jennifer.

"How long would you say it's been since you binged last?" He inquired of her.

"About…three weeks." Jennifer answered uneasily, unsure of what all of this was about.

"And you've been sick every day since then, correct?"

"Yes."

"What time of day do you feel nauseous?"

"Right now." Gagged Jennifer, trying to swallow the feeling back down.

"So that's in the morning, I presume." Mr. Chair answered for her. "Have you been gaining any weight?"

Jennifer was singed with embarrassment. She hadn't told anyone, maybe not even herself, but just days before she had encountered Pewdie in the dungeon; and as usual he had made a snarky comment about her weight. After he had said it, Jennifer had found the closest mirror and began looking herself over. She usually did this to check to make sure she wasn't putting on any extra pounds, and usually her inspection turned out okay; but this time she had discovered that her clothes were fitting her a little tighter. Needless to say, the embarrassment she felt about it was overwhelming.

"M-Maybe a little." Jennifer mumbled.

"I see." Mr. Chair has his face completely submerged in the book, his beret the only thing visible of him. "Now the last question: How long ago did you and Piggeh sleep together?"

Jennifer blinked at Mr. Chair's beret in surprise. "That's…a little too personal, don't you think?" She said suspiciously.

"Just tell me." Mr. Chair sounded annoyed behind his book.

"I don't know," Jennifer shrugged. "About three weeks ago. It was a few nights before I binged."

Mr. Chair was silent and unmoving. Jennifer peered over the large book that was separating her from her friend.

"Why do you need to know?" She asked.

Mr. Chair brought the volume away from his face. He looked deep in thought again, his deep green eyes staring at the word-coated pages. Finally he cleared his throat politely and handed the book to Jennifer, who bent a tad under its heaviness.

"See this passage?" Mr. Chair pointed to a paragraph in the book.

"Yeah."

"Read it."

Jennifer read the passage, but the copious amounts of big words it contained made her head swim. "I don't get it."

Mr. Chair snatched the book back and returned it to the shelf. He wrung his hands and tapped his foot, deciding what he should do next.

"Okay," He said with a heavy sigh. "I guess the best way for you to understand is if I just tell you straight out…."

* * *

Piggeh leaned on his hands against the shelf, amusing himself by flicking the cockroaches that scurried over the planks across the room. He hadn't seen or heard from Jennifer all day, and he hoped she wasn't lost in some part of the castle alone. He didn't worry over her though, she was a smart girl who knew her way around Brennenburg. Even if she _was_ lost, she'd find her way back by nightfall. Piggeh figured that the most likely cause of Jennifer's absence was Pewdie. It was late afternoon; by now he was prowling (more like stumbling) through the castle with Stephano on another one of their adventures, and chances were that Jennifer was not far behind them.

Piggeh was lining up his hand to turn another roach into a projectile, when the sound of the barracks door unlatching caught his attention. The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs made him peer through the shelves, expecting at any moment to see the light of Pewdie's lantern round the hallway corner. There was no lantern light, only the dull reflection of torchlight on pale skin and black hair. Jennifer came walking down the hallway, watching her feet as she slowly put one in front of the other.

Piggeh slunk back behind the shelf and waited in ambush. As Jennifer passed by, he leapt out and shrieked, making his friend just about hit the ceiling. Piggeh shook with laughter at his prank.

"I got 'ya good, Jen!" He cackled. "Oh man! If you could've seen the look on your face, you would'a…"

Piggeh's voice trailed off as he looked back at Jennifer and saw that she wasn't laughing. She was just staring at the ground, folding her arms over her chest. She wasn't giggling over the prank with him as she normally would, and her silence let Piggeh know something was wrong. Piggeh placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Jen, is everything okay?" He asked. Jennifer didn't say anything. "Was it Pewdie again?"

Jennifer shook her head. Piggeh suddenly got the feeling that his prank had offended her somehow.

"Hey look, if I scared you too much I'm sorry." He said apologetically. "You know I was just joking, don't 'ya?"

Jennifer sniffled and raised her face towards Piggeh. Piggeh was surprised to see wet streaks running down Jennifer's cheeks, her silver eyes sparkling with fresh tears.

"Hey, what's the matter?" He asked, moving to hug Jennifer around the shoulders.

"Don't." Jennifer said harshly, pulling away from Piggeh's arms.

Piggeh was shocked. "You don't wanna hug?" He asked teasingly, holding open his arms.

"Please don't touch me." Jennifer's voice wavered.

"What's all this about?" Piggeh asked, leaning back against the shelves. "What happened to you?"

Jennifer wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I didn't tell you, but I've still been feeling sick these past few weeks."

"Really?" Piggeh sighed. "I kinda would've liked to know that."

"Yeah, I know." Jennifer snapped at Piggeh. She calmed back down and sniffled again. "I was afraid it was the flu, so today I went to see Mr. Chair about it."

"And…?"

"And…" Jennifer quivered with a sigh. "It isn't the flu."

"Well that's a-." Piggeh looked relieved.

"But," Jennifer cut him off. "It's something else."

"Jen, are you sick?" Piggeh looked concerned again.

"No. I'm not." Jennifer began to sob.

"Then what's wrong?!" Piggeh spoke with a sense of urgency.

Jennifer spun around and looked Piggeh directly in the eye. Her breathing was shaky and uneven with sobs, but she took a deep breath and managed to say;

"Piggeh, I'm pregnant."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

For the first time in his life, Piggeh was speechless. A cold chill ran through his blood, icing up his muscles and locking him into place. His mind became static as he processed the words that had been spoken to him; and all he could do was stand there in dumb silence. The look on his face sent a bolt of guilt through Jennifer's core. Her vision clouding up with tears again, she found herself unable to hold Piggeh's gaze any longer. Stifling a sob, she turned away and continued walking down the torch-lit hallway. The static somewhat clearing from his head, senses returned to Piggeh and he immediately went after her. Stopping her by the shoulders, he gently turned her around to face him.

"Are you really?" He asked quietly.

Jennifer refused to make eye contact. She kept her head bowed to avoid Piggeh's eyes, but muttered; "Yes."

Piggeh slowly released Jennifer's shoulders, almost afraid to touch her. Suddenly she had become something fragile and forbidden, like a glass ornament.

"Th-There's no way it's mine though, right?" Piggeh chuckled nervously. "Wasn't there a…a Teleporting Naked Guy somewhere in the mix?"

"You know those things can't get anyone pregnant," Jennifer said as she wiped her eyes. "They're dry as bones. You're the only other person I've slept with."

Piggeh pushed back his pink hair and sat down on a nearby crate. "Oh, my God." He moaned, running his hands down his face.

A deadly concoction of hormones and adrenaline was bubbling up inside Jennifer, fanning the flames of her emotions into an inferno. Jennifer stood over her friend confrontationally with her arms crossed in front of her. She wasn't one to get angry, but the inferno was melting away her self-control and heating her tears.

"You told me you were doing me a favor that night," Jennifer said accusingly through tears. "Well _this_ isn't a favor!"

"Well _this_ wasn't exactly a part of my plan!" Piggeh snapped back, losing his cool for a second. "I just wanted to help 'ya, Jen!"

"Yeah, you _really_ helped me." Jennifer said sarcastically. "I'm done for! What's Pewdie going to think when he finds out?! He'd never be interested in someone with a kid!"

"How do 'ya think this is gonna affect _me_?!" Now Piggeh had lost his temper and the two long-time friends were suddenly involved in a full-fledged argument. "In all the times I've messed around I've never gotten anyone pregnant! If this gets out, my reputation will be ruined! No one will ever trust me with their bodies again!"

"Good!" Jennifer shouted. "I don't think anyone should!"

"This wasn't my fault, 'ya know!" Piggeh shouted back.

"It wasn't mine, either!"

"It's nobody's fault, okay? So just drop it!"

"How can I drop it? I'm the one _carrying_ it!"

"Shut up!"

Jennifer backed away from Piggeh, a look of hurt shadowing her tearstained face. Piggeh quickly covered his mouth, ashamed of what he had just said. He and Jennifer had had little spats before, but nothing had ever been that intense; and Piggeh had never blown up like that in front of her. Jennifer let a whimper escape her as she shot Piggeh a look of painful distain, and soon a few more tears re-wetted her cheeks. In an instant, Piggeh had his arms around her. He was supposed to be her only true friend, and here he had just treated her like everyone else did. Shame stabbed him like a blade.

"I am so sorry, Jen!" He said, running his fingers through her hair to calm her down. "I didn't mean to say it; I don't know what came over me! I…I'm just really stressed out right now, okay?"

"I know. I am too." Jennifer dried her eyes on Piggeh's clothing and rested her head on his shoulder. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know yet, but it'll all work out…I hope." Piggeh said uncertainly.

"Should we let the others know?"

"You already know what that could do to us." Piggeh said. "I think it's better if we keep it our little secret until we figure out a plan."

"But our plans never work." Jennifer sighed, finally having calmed down. "And besides, Mr. Chair knows. What if _he_ tells everyone?"

"Don't worry about that, Jen." Piggeh winked. "I'll talk to him."

* * *

The jaws of the heavy library doors creaked open to allow Piggeh to enter, then slammed just behind him. It was early evening, not long after his life-changing news had reached him, and he was following through on his promise to visit Mr. Chair. After Piggeh's eyes adjusted from bright sunlight to dim candlelight, he began wandering amongst the bookshelves; searching them up and down for the skinny little chair in the beret. Towards the back of the mammoth library, the bookshelves gave way to an area of tables surrounding a warm heating stove. Seated at a table nearest the stove, partially buried under a mountain of stacked books and candles, was Mr. Chair. Once again nose-deep in a book, he was oblivious to the world and lost in his own little one.

As soon as he spotted him, Piggeh marched directly up to him and rested his hands on the table across from the green clad man. He said nothing, and instead gave his bro a chance to notice him on his own. Mr. Chair, however, only saw the words in front of his face. Having given his friend a chance, Piggeh reached out and with one swift movement smacked the book out of Mr. Chair's hands. The book fell to the floor with a fluttering sound and landed with its pages splatted all around its edges. Mr. Chair stood up so fast his seat nearly tipped over and suddenly noticed the person in front of him.

"Geez Piggeh, what was that for?" Mr. Chair asked as he stooped down to pick up the book.

"Jennifer told me the news." Piggeh said bluntly, putting one hand on the table and the other on his hips.

"The news?" Mr. Chair racked his brain trying to recollect something about 'news' as he placed the book back on the table. Suddenly he remembered. "Oh, yes! The news! In that case, I guess I owe you my congratulations!"

Mr. Chair smiled and held out his hand in offering of a handshake, but was taken aback as Piggeh grabbed him by the collar instead of his hand. Piggeh clenched his fist onto Mr. Chair's vibrant green vest and pulled him closer, glaring at him intimidatingly. Mr. Chair gulped, taking the obvious hint that Piggeh was not very happy about 'the news'.

"Listen, you!" Piggeh growled through his teeth. "You breathe one word of this to Pewdie, Stephano, or anyone else and I swear to God you'll be tasting book print for a month! Got it?"

"Got it! Got it!" Mr. Chair held his arms out protectively in front of his face. "But…why?"

"Neither Jen or I want this kid." Piggeh said solemnly. "If everyone knows about it before we can decide what to do with it, our whole lives could get screwed up! No one would ever get down and dirty with me again, and Jen's chances with Pewdie would be destroyed! So I'm not asking you, Chair, I'm _telling_ you. Don't. Say. A word."

Not about to argue with the stronger man who literally had him by the throat, Mr. Chair nodded his head vigorously. Piggeh freed Mr. Chair from his grasp and the bookworm proceeded to dust himself off, painstakingly fixing any article of clothing that was out of place. After everything was neat and orderly again Mr. Chair glanced up at Piggeh who was distraughtly leaning over the table, his short pink hair falling over his eyes. Mr. Chair resumed his seat at the table and tried to find his place in the book he had dropped. Even after what had just happened, he still felt the need to gloat.

"I told that wasn't the wisest choice you could've made," He said in an uppity voice. "And now look where it's led you; quite literally between a rock and a hard place." He chuckled to himself. "Maybe next time you'll actually listen to me."

"Shut up." Piggeh grumbled, his hair still hanging in his eyes.

Mr. Chair, figuring he had made his point, decided to cease gloating and instead offer some support to his old friend and fellow bro. "You know, Piggeh," He said as he removed his glasses and cleaned them. "If you or Jennifer ever have any questions about all this you can come straight to me. I'll always be able to answer them; I've got tons of books on the subject of female reproduction."

"Thanks, Mr. Chair," Piggeh said, tossing the hair out of his eyes and smiling half-heartedly at his bro. "But I don't think we'll be worrying about that too much. Right now all we're worried about is getting through this alive."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Piggeh tossed and turned on the cobblestone floor that was his sleeping place. His eyelids were closed, but behind them he was fully awake. The barracks were pitch black, save for the few torches that clung to the hallway walls, imitating the moonless night outside. Piggeh had no idea what time it was, but from the moment he had settled down for the night he hadn't been able to catch one ounce of sleep. Thoughts kept racing through his mind, thoughts that provoked a sense of worry that forbade him from getting any rest. Most of these thoughts were just products of Piggeh's overactive imagination, but there was indeed reason for him to worry.

He and Jennifer had been managing to keep their little secret just that, a secret, these past few weeks. Jennifer had been keeping up her regular routine, stalking Pewdie from the shadows whenever she got the chance; and Piggeh had of course not changed his outgoing, spunky attitude so no one suspected a thing. For the time being everything was going smoothly, but their time was slowly running out. The two were still undecided about the fate of the unborn child, although many options had come up in their topics of conversation.

An abortion was by no means possible, and even if it had been Jennifer would have been strongly opposed to the idea. Hell would freeze over before they would decide to keep the child. The last thing they wanted to do was lose their friendship to parenthood; a baby would only tear them apart, and they wanted a plan that would keep them both right where they were in their lives. Abandoning the child in the bowels of Brennenburg was a tempting choice, but the both of them knew what that could do to the kid and they didn't want it to turn out like the Barrels.

So many options, but if they were going to come up with a plan, they needed to do it soon. Before long Jennifer's secret pregnancy would start to become obvious, and then it would be too late for plans. At least _with_ a plan they would be able to map out the rest of steps they needed to take in order to keep their predicament as private as possible.

Frustrated with his whirring thoughts, Piggeh rolled onto his side and cushioned his head with his arm. Sleep still eluding him, Piggeh was just about to give up on sleep and go for a walk around the barracks when the touch of someone else's skin against his own made him gasp.

"It's just me, Piggeh." Jennifer's voice whispered from the dark. "Go back to sleep."

"What're you doing here, Jen?" Piggeh blinked to adjust his eyes to the blackness.

"I couldn't sleep." Jennifer whispered as she laid beside Piggeh. "I thought, maybe, I could keep you company instead."

Piggeh smiled into the inky air. "It's fine. I couldn't sleep either."

Even before the incident that had gotten them tangled in this mess, the two friends had curled up next to each other many nights before. They sought comfort and safety from one another, as well as warmth during the cold winter months; but once they found out Jennifer was pregnant they tended to sleep far away from each other, often on separate sides of the barracks. They hadn't shared a sleeping place in almost two months.

The two friends lay with their backs facing each other on the cold cobblestones, both wide-eyed and sleepless. Piggeh looked over his shoulder and was just able to see Jennifer's outline beside him.

"So," He whispered. "What kept _you_ up?"

"Nothing." Jennifer's voice replied. "What kept _you_ up?"

"Nothing."

There was a short silence.

"How 'ya feeling?" Piggeh asked the rock girl in regards to her morning sickness.

"I'm fine for now." Jennifer answered. "Right now I'm just hungry."

"Would you like me to get you something?" Piggeh offered. "I can if you want me to."

"No, I can wait until morning." Jennifer said with a small sigh. "…Hey, Piggeh?"

"Yeah?"

"About how many monsters would you say are in this castle?"

"Heck if I know." Piggeh scoffed. "How come?"

"I was wondering how many of them it might have to fight off if we leave it on its own."

Piggeh sighed through his nose. He knew what, or who, Jennifer meant by 'it'. "Don't worry about that yet." He said, rolling over on his other side to face Jennifer's back. "We haven't even decided that's what we're going to do yet."

"What other options do we _have_?" Jennifer said sadly.

"I'm sure there's more out there." Piggeh assured her, stroking her shoulder with his hand. "We just haven't found them yet."

"Like what?"

"I…have no clue," He admitted. "But no matter what, we'll make sure that it'll be like none of this ever happened."

"Let me guess," Jennifer half grinned, half grimaced. "Like nothing's changed?"

"Exactly." Piggeh smiled.

"I hate to break it to you," Jennifer sounded slightly irritated. "But no matter what you say, things _have_ changed; and no matter how much we want to pretend they didn't, they have. We'll have a kid running around who no one will know is ours, fending for itself while we'll still be here living like it never happened. That just doesn't sit right with me."

"I know it's hard to think about," Piggeh moved closer to Jennifer. "But if you truly want to be happy with your life, it's what needs to happen."

"Isn't there another way?" Jennifer asked, brushing her hair out of her face. "A way that it can have a family who cares for it and loves it, just like I had growing up…"

Jennifer suddenly got very quiet, then all at once cried; "That's it! Why didn't we think of it sooner?"

"Think of what, Jen?" Piggeh asked.

Jennifer rolled onto her side to face Piggeh. Piggeh could see the glint of her greyish teeth form a wide smile in the torchlight. "Adoption!" She whispered in excitement. "It's exactly the answer we need!"

"You mean, like, give the kid away?" Piggeh raised an eyebrow. "To who?"

"My brethren are a very close group." Jennifer said. "Even if we're not all related by blood, we still treat each other like family. We even help look after children that aren't ours; they're the perfect people to raise it!"

"But your brethren are rocks." Piggeh pointed out. "What if, 'ya know, the kid turns out to be like me?"

"Don't you have any family, Piggeh?"

"Not any family by blood," Piggeh said. "But there are a few more pigs around here somewhere."

"Then if it turns out to be like you, we'll let them adopt it."

"That's probably a bad idea." Piggeh said. "We pigs are more like loners. We don't ever hang around in groups for too long. The kid would probably just be left on its own anyway."

"My brethren aren't exactly accepting of outsiders," Jennifer said, frowning at the memory of her rejection. "I don't think they would take too well to a pig in the family."

"If you really want the kid to have a family, Jen, then they're your best bet." Piggeh said. "It's at least worth a shot."

Jennifer paused.

"I suppose they might be more open to it if I explained what was going on to them…possibly." She said. "Then if they accept my offer, I could find someone who'd be willing to…to…"

"Be its mother?" Piggeh asked sensitively.

"…yeah." Jennifer said softly. "I'll go tomorrow. Let them know what's going on ahead of time."

"Will they even let you back into the garden?" Piggeh asked.

"I sure hope they do." Jennifer breathed out as she curled up next to Piggeh and shut her eyes.

The heat of their two bodies warming them like a blanket, Piggeh's racing thoughts began to slow and blur together. He realized Jennifer had fallen asleep just as he felt his own eyes become heavy. Resting his head on his arm again, a feeling of relief washed over him as he closed his eyes and faded away into sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It wasn't the drafty chill that made Jennifer shiver as she stood in the deserted hallway at the front of the residential wing. It wasn't the icy breath of the castle as it exhaled over her skin, it was the door. The courtyard door stood there, latched and locked, looming like a silent guardian to the outside world. Its presence bore down on Jennifer, as if threatening her not to attempt what she had come there to do.

She had been forced behind this door long ago, and had been forbidden by her own family from ever going through it again. Jennifer hugged her arms and continued to tremble as gusts of unpleasant memories blew through her mind. Was it too late to turn back now? Jennifer ran her hand along the metal castings of the door; they were warmed with the summer heat outside. The heat stung her fingers, but it was also familiar and welcoming. Would she risk it? Jennifer felt her hand make contact with the latch. Would she even dare? Jennifer's fingers wrapped themselves around the handle. Jennifer hesitated a moment, gazing at her fingers on the latch, then held her breath. The latch clanked to the side and the lock undid itself. She would.

Jennifer braced herself and swung open the door. As soon as her feet left the threshold she found herself surrounded by a blinding white light. Jennifer let out a small yelp as her eyes began to burn and shielded them with her hands. Jennifer stood in place, cowering under the shade of her hands from the bright light that assaulted her from all sides. Gradually, the white light softened into a faded gold and things started to appear out of the haze of sunlight. Slowly a rose bush became visible, then a sunflower, then an apple tree; and soon an entire garden was laid out before Jennifer, bathed in golden sunlight and in the full bloom of summer.

The burning faded from Jennifer's eyes and she took her hand away from her eyes. Jennifer's heart skipped a beat as she took it all in. Here she was, feeling the long-forgotten sensation of grass under her feet and smelling the fresh aromas of the garden. The sunlight kissed her skin lightly, chasing away the dank coolness of the barracks. The familiar feeling of sunlight made Jennifer sigh with content; and for a moment, it felt like she was home again.

That moment passed however, when Jennifer realized there were more things there to greet her than the plants. Just beyond the apple tree, several figures dressed entirely in black were staring at her with pairs of silver eyes. Jennifer slunk back, trembling despite the warm sunlight. These were her brethren.

"Hello." Jennifer said nervously. "Nice to…see you all…again."

The group of rocks continued to glare at her from under the shade of the apple tree. A male in the group narrowed his eyes at Jennifer.

"I know I wasn't supposed to come back," Jennifer said, trying to be brave but still trying to hide behind her hair. "But I did."

A few of the rocks nodded their heads towards the door.

"I'm not leaving." Jennifer asserted, peeking out from behind her hair. "Not yet. I need to speak with everyone first."

A female stood and removed herself from the group. Jennifer recoiled as the female rock marched up to her and stared her down right between the eyes. The other rock girl put her hand on her hip and pointed to the door.

"I said I needed to speak with everyone!" Jennifer stepped away from the glowering rock girl.

Suddenly the crowd of rocks sprang to their feet and parted respectfully as an older-looking male rock stepped forward. Jennifer bit her lip; he was one of the eldest members of her brethren, and was a matriarch of sorts to their family group. The older rock approached Jennifer, and as he neared the other rock girl retreated humbly to the shade. Jennifer bowed her head as the elder stopped in front of her, looking her over. This was the moment of truth. If the elder didn't hear her out, no one would.

"Please," Jennifer said courteously. "Just hear what I have to say."

The elder scowled down at Jennifer through his faded silver irises sun-bleached black hair. Slowly he raised his hand, and Jennifer prepared herself for a heavy handed clout; but just as it looked like he was going to strike her, he held out an open palm. Jennifer staggered with relief, and with a still shaking hand placed her palm in the elder's.

The other rocks rolled their eyes and shook their heads. The elder took Jennifer by the hand and motioned the others to gather round. Begrudgingly, the others obeyed and sat in a semi-circle before the elder and their unexpected guest. The elder clapped his hands to gain everyone's attention and then motioned to Jennifer, inviting her to speak.

"Th-Thank you all for hearing me." Jennifer stuttered. "I-I know I've disrupted you, but I have something very important to speak with you about. I…need your help."

A few of the rocks sneered at this statement, but the elder clapped his hands again and everyone was still.

"A while ago I got myself into a really bad situation," Jennifer continued. "And…and…I'm pregnant."

Sevral of the rocks got up and began to walk away, but a cold hard stare from the elder brought them back. Those who hadn't tried to leave just sat there and shook their heads in pity. Jennifer gulped down the sting of both anger and embarrassment.

"So, now we're stuck with this and Piggeh and I don't know what to-." Jennifer was abruptly stopped as the elder placed his hand over her mouth. He raised his eyebrow and quickly glanced towards the castle. "Y-Yes," Jennifer stuttered as the elder took his wrinkled hand away from her. "It's Piggeh's. You've met him, haven't you? He lives in the castle."

There was a silent collective sigh as her brethren relaxed and for the first time since she arrived started smiling at her. All at once someone ran up and handed her a flower, and soon others followed the lead and began doing small things that suddenly seemed to be welcoming her. Someone offered her an apple picked fresh from the apple tree, and another offered her a drink from the fountain. Jennifer was pleased beyond words at these gestures, but was very confused by the sudden change of demeanor.

"What's all this about?" She asked her brethren with a grin.

A male motioned at Jennifer, then at the castle, and then back at Jennifer. Jennifer gasped.

"Oh, you thought I was with…" She said faintly. "No, it's not _his_ but that doesn't mean I don't…"

Jennifer bit her tongue and stopped herself from saying anything else. Her brethren were under the impression that she, of all things, had fallen out of love with Pewdie and had instead fallen for…Piggeh. Obviously their assumption was wrong, but Jennifer realized mid-sentence that her brethren had welcomed her back only when they thought she no longer was in love with a human. Jennifer realized that if she revealed that her love for Pewdie still rang true, they would reject the idea of adopting her child just as they would reject her again. An idea sparked in Jennifer's mind.

"I mean, yes I've found someone else." Jennifer corrected herself. "The only problem is that we don't want the baby. We were talking things over and we thought, maybe, someone here could adopt it."

The elder hugged Jennifer around the neck parentally and waved his hand over the crowd. The other rocks looked around at each other, gazing inquiringly from one set of eyes to the next. Suddenly a shy hand rose up from the back of the crowd and everyone went still. A slender rock girl, not much older than Jennifer, stepped forward and proved to be the owner of the raised hand.

The rock girl smiled at Jennifer and nodded. Jennifer, recognizing the future mother of her unborn child, smiled half-heatedly and returned the nod. Jennifer's brethren clapped at the acceptance of a new family member.

* * *

Jennifer latched the storage barracks door behind her and sat down of the stairs with a tired sigh. She was covered in a light gloss of sweat from being out in the sun for too long, and the cold draft was for once a relief to her.

"Jen, is that you?" Piggeh's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Yeah, it's me." Jennifer answered him.

Piggeh appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "So?"

Jennifer smiled. "They said yes!" She beamed as she began heading down the stairs. "We even have a girl who's willing to be its mother."

"Thank God!" Piggeh ran a hand through his hair. "It's about time we got that taken care of."

"Yeah well, there's a teeny tiny little…uh…catch." Jennifer said sheepishly halfway down the stairs.

"A catch?" Piggeh asked. "What is it?"

"See, my brethren think that because you got me pregnant that must mean I like you."

"In a romantic way?"

"Yep."

"Did you tell them they were wrong?"

"No, not exactly." Jennifer paused on the stairs. "I just…told them you and I were…'together'."

"You what?! Seriously, Jen? We didn't even _kiss_ when we were doing it!"

"I had to!" Jennifer stepped off the stairs. "They welcomed me back Piggeh, but only because they thought I loved you now instead of Pewdie. They wouldn't have taken the baby if I told them the truth; and besides…I'm allowed home again."

"We can't be going around spreading that story." Piggeh said, exasperated. "No one will believe us! They know _me_ too well and they know _you_ too well."

"But my brethren _don't_ know you." Jennifer appeased her friend. "Please, can we just act like we're together when we're around them?"

"Why don't we just avoid them altogether?" Piggeh asked, gesturing with his hand.

"….Because…they want to…meet…you." Jennifer smiled sheepishly.

"Are you freakin' kidding me?!" Piggeh covered his face in his hands.

"Sorry," Jennifer shrugged. "But they figure you're technically a part of the family now and want to get to know you."

"They realize that after they take the kid we want nothing to do with them, right?" Piggeh said through his hands.

"Can we just pretend we're a couple when we're around them?" Jennifer begged. "Please? It's the only way to take this baby off our hands."

Piggeh kept his hands over his face for a while, then migrated them up and slowly combed them through his hair again. "You drive a hard bargain, Jen." He half moaned, half chuckled. "But I'll do it anyway."

"For you it shouldn't be that hard." Jennifer said, throwing a thankful hug around Piggeh's neck. "You've had plenty of experience."

"_Not with just one person."_ Piggeh thought, but winked at Jennifer anyway. "Whatever you say."

Piggeh returned Jennifer's hug, but as he wrapped his arms around her he immediately noticed a difference.

"Hey, Jen?"

"Hmm?"

"I think we solved the adoption problem just in time."

"What?"

Piggeh held Jennifer away at arm's length and examined her with his eyes. "Yep," He said with a grin. "You're starting to show."

"I am?" Jennifer looked down and for the first time realized that her abdomen was slightly starting to expand. Jennifer blushed, half with embarrassment and half with amazement. "Wow, I am."

"I think it makes you look kinda cute." Piggeh teased.

"My brethren aren't here, Piggeh." Jennifer smirked. "You don't have to start that yet."

"Well it does."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The feel of Jennifer's foot in the place where his ribs were missing tore Piggeh from the first good night's sleep he'd had in weeks. She had merely nudged him with her heel, but that area of his body was incredibly sensitive and the slightest touch sent his nerves into overdrive. He jolted awake and looked up at his friend with sleep-filled eyes.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Jennifer beamed down at the undead pig.

Piggeh ignored her and closed his eyes again, only to receive another prod in the side.

"Come on, get up." Jennifer chirped lightheartedly. "You know what today is."

Piggeh sat up, surrendering his sleep to the rock girl. He rubbed the heaviness out of his eyes and smirked up at her. "Someone's feeling better." He commented, relieved that the daily bouts of morning sickness seemed to have finally passed.

Jennifer smiled as she sat down on a low hanging shelf. "This is so exciting, isn't it?"

"For you maybe," Said Piggeh as he stood to his feet and stretched. "But spending my day with a bunch of rocks isn't exactly what I call exciting." Jennifer shot him a dirty look. "No offense, Jen."

"You'll like my brethren," Jennifer said. "They're not that bad once you get to know them…and as long as you stay on their good side."

"Why? What's their bad side like?" Piggeh asked.

"You don't want to know." Jennifer shivered. "Believe me, they showed mercy by rejecting me. We rocks can be very destructive when we want to be."

Piggeh's memory went back to times when he had seen the crushed remains of Gatherers smeared over the floor and wondered if Jennifer's brethren had had anything to do with them. He gulped.

"So…what happens if they don't buy it?" Piggeh asked uneasily.

"Don't buy what?"

"That we're a couple."

Jennifer held her breath. She had completely overlooked her kind's keen ability to learn about people by watching them. She herself had gotten to know Piggeh as well as she did simply by watching his actions. If she and Piggeh didn't make a convincing couple, her brethren would pick up on it in a second and everything would fall apart.

"Uh…I didn't even consider that." Jennifer slapped her palm into her forehead. "…I don't know what will happen if they don't, but I can tell you it won't be pretty."

"Then I guess we'll just have to _make_ 'em buy it." Piggeh said as he slung his arm around Jennifer's shoulders. "I got ways of making that happen."

Jennifer fidgeted at the awkward feel of her best friend's intimate touch. Ever since she had found out about her pregnancy, Piggeh's suggestive teasing and playful touching had suddenly felt less funny and instead started feeling very wrong. Piggeh sensed her discomfort and removed his arm from around her shoulders. Awkward silence followed.

"I…uh…I think I'd better wait until we're actually there." He stuttered uncomfortably.

"I think so, too." Jennifer nodded her agreement, both of them knowing this scheme was going to be easier said than done.

* * *

With the same familiar clank the lock was undone. The heavy metal door swung open, revealing the wall of shapeless white light beyond it. Jennifer stepped through the doorway and disappeared into the sunny haze, but Piggeh hung back. He looked into the void of light in front of him, unable to see anything past it, and somewhere underneath his confidant exterior he was afraid. He'd never been outside before; he had never even been in the garden before, and he was hesitant about stepping into this unknown place. Jennifer reappeared out of the veil of white light.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked. "Come on."

"Yeah, I am." Piggeh said, sticking his hand out and for the first time feeling the sun's heat. He quickly pulled his hand back into the shade. "Just give me a minute."

"You're not afraid, are you?" Jennifer asked, covering her mouth to hide her smile. It tickled her to see her overconfident friend suddenly act like a frightened puppy.

"'Course not!" Piggeh said, snapping his fingers assertively.

"Well, I'm waiting." Jennifer crossed her arms over her chest.

"Right…" Piggeh gathered his wits about him and confidently strode through the door.

As the blank whiteness around him softened to reveal the beautiful landscape of the garden, Piggeh's fear left him and he chuckled to himself for being afraid of nothing.

"See?" Jennifer said playfully, nudging Piggeh on the arm with her elbow. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Before Piggeh could add his witty retort, Jennifer began journeying across the courtyard and motioned for him to follow her. As they drew closer and closer to the towering apple tree, Piggeh saw that there were several groups of rocks lounging in the shade of the tree. With their dark clothing and hair, he honestly hadn't noticed them until a few silver eyes stood out amongst the shadows.

"Hello!" Jennifer called out to her brethren as she and Piggeh neared them.

The response was immediate. All eyes were suddenly upon the two visitors and a collective friendly wave was given as a greeting. An older rock came forth from the crowd and took Jennifer by the hand, welcoming her as he had done last they met. The elder then turned to Piggeh and offered his hand in welcome to him as well. Piggeh looked blankly at the elder and turned to Jennifer for help.

"Take it." Jennifer whispered." "He's saying 'hello'."

Reluctantly Piggeh took the elder's hand and the elder smiled broadly. He motioned to his fellow rocks and they all gathered round him just as they had done before, only this time they were more willing to do so. The elder stepped to the side and signaled to Jennifer that she was permitted to speak. Much more sure of herself than last time, Jennifer spoke;

"I can never thank you enough for what you are doing for me, and I just wanted to say thanks to all of you." Several of the rocks smiled. Jennifer held out her hand and motioned it towards Piggeh. "This is Piggeh, my…" Jennifer stopped. She fought to make the word come out, but she struggled not to break a sweat. The slightest mistake and her brethren would be on to her. Before the pause went on for too long, Jennifer found her voice. "…boyfriend." She finished, sounding as happy as she could. "He'll be visiting with us today; thank you all again for allowing him to be here."

That last line sent a note of uneasiness through Piggeh, but he retained his laid back appearance. "Yeah, thanks." He said. The rocks only nodded in reply, sending another pang of uneasiness through Piggeh.

The elder clapped his hands to gain everyone's attention, then pointed to the branches of the apple tree high above their heads. Immediately two of the male rocks stood from their places and walked to the thick trunk of the tree.

"What's going on?" Piggeh whispered to Jennifer.

"Breakfast." Jennifer replied simply.

The two male rocks stationed themselves next to the trunk and took turns striking it with their feet and knees. Piggeh flinched. To him it looked very painful, but the rock males seemed to be unaffected by the contact of their limbs to the unmovable plant. At first Piggeh couldn't see how this had anything to do with breakfast, but before long apples began falling from the branches. Rocks in the crowd began reaching up and snatching apples effortlessly out of the air as they fell.

Piggeh watched as the vibrant red fruits fell, but noticed not a single one was reaching the ground. It was almost as if the tree was giving only enough apples necessary to feed the group and nothing more. He saw a red blur out of the corner of his eye, and he turned his head just in time to see Jennifer catch it with one hand. Jennifer polished the fruit on her blouse and turned to Piggeh as if to say something, but noticed that he didn't have an apple.

"Aren't you hungry?" She asked.

"Yeah, but how am I supposed to eat if I don't have anything?" He asked, glancing at all the rocks that were holding ripe red apples in their hands.

"Just catch one." Jennifer said with a shrug. "It's easy."

Piggeh pulled up one corner of his mouth in a half smile. Boy, was _this_ a role-reversal. Normally he'd be the one helping Jennifer along and giving her advice, but now _he_ was the one who was in need of advice. He couldn't deny that he was out of his element; he was definitely more of an indoor person. Knowing he had to make a good impression on Jennifer's brethren, Piggeh held out his hand and waited for fruit to fall into it.

Less and less apples were falling, and it seemed as though everyone had been fed except for Piggeh. Several of the rocks were beginning to stare, and Jennifer was beginning to get anxious. Finally one fell right past him and Piggeh quickly moved to grab it, but the fruit bounced off his palm and landed on the grass instead.

Piggeh ignored the silent snickers from the crowd of rocks and picked up the apple. He polished it on his shirt just as Jennifer had done. The apple was fresh and crisp, and its skin shone in the sunlight. Living in the castle all his life, Piggeh had never seen anything like it. Without hesitation he took a grateful bite out of it, only to receive the glaring disapproval of the crowd. Piggeh turned to Jennifer, who was hiding her face with her hair.

"What did I do?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"We usually start the meal together." Jennifer whispered back. "You look like an idiot."

Piggeh turned back to the crowd and gulped down his mouthful. With a look of slight frustration, the elder clapped his hands again and the two male rocks resumed their places in the crowd, where they received their share of the meal from others who had caught apples for them. With everyone watching him, the elder made a gesture with his hand and the group began its breakfast.

Jennifer and Piggeh found themselves a place next to the tree trunk and settled down to enjoy their meal. Piggeh kept glancing at all the rocks around him. Seeing them side-by-side to Jennifer, he realized just how similar they all looked to each other. Every single one of them had silver eyes, black hair, and wore solid black outfits. The only things that differed among them were individual faces, hairstyles, and clothing styles. They were all so uniform, yet so different.

The rocks looked around at each other, gesturing with their hands and constantly changing the expressions on their faces. They seemed to be reacting to one another, but they were completely silent. Piggeh was used to silence, but not when there were so many others around. Once again he found himself of the borderline of nervousness. He leaned closer to Jennifer as she swallowed a bite of her apple.

"Why aren't they saying anything?" He whispered so softly he hardly heard himself.

"They don't talk." Jennifer answered in a voice just as soft as Piggeh's.

"Then how am I supposed to get to know them?" Piggeh asked. "I've been here ten minutes and I still don't know anyone's name."

"You don't need to," Jennifer said. "No one here _has_ a name."

"Really?"

"_I_ used to not have a name."

"Then why are you called 'Jennifer'?"

"Because that's what Pewdie called me." Jennifer blushed. "But no one here calls me that."

"How can they call you anything if they can't talk?" Piggeh asked confusedly.

"They can talk," Jennifer said. "They just choose not to. We rocks have to be quiet most of the time, you know? It's our secret of survival."

"So if you don't have names and you don't talk," Piggeh was trying to make sense of the rocks' strange way of life. "Then how do you tell each other apart?"

"We dress differently." Jennifer pointed out how differently she was dressed from another rock girl sitting a few feet away. "We also have different faces. We just learn to memorize each other that way."

Piggeh realized that the gesturing and facial expressions of the rocks meant that they were communicating with one another. Okay, so now he understood _how_ they talked but he still had no idea _what_ they were talking about.

"I have no idea what they're saying." Piggeh said to Jennifer.

"It's okay, Piggeh." Jennifer said as she finished off her breakfast. "I can translate for you."

Now that the group was finishing up the meal, a few of the bolder rocks sat down next to Jennifer and Piggeh and started "speaking" to them. A rock girl in pigtails tapped Piggeh on the shoulder and looked from him to Jennifer to the castle. Piggeh knew she was trying to say something, but he was clueless as to what it was.

"Uh…Jen?" Piggeh once again required his friend's help.

Jennifer halted the silent conversation she was having with some other rocks and asked the rock girl to repeat her message. After viewing it for herself, Jennifer translated;

"She's asking you how long we've known each other."

"Oh, well…" Piggeh told the anticipating rock girl. "We've known each other for a while now. I'd say pretty much since Pewdie-."

Jennifer slapped her hand over Piggeh's mouth. "Shhh." She whispered in his ear. "Please don't mention Pewdie. He's the reason my brethren hated me, remember?"

"Gotcha." Piggeh mumbled from under Jennifer's hand.

As Jennifer retracted her hand and settled back against the tree, she noticed with a slight chill that quite a few of her brethren had come closer to her and Piggeh and we're glaring at them suspiciously. Jennifer bit her lip as she realized what they were doing wrong. They were sitting apart from each other and were keeping entirely to themselves. Basically, they weren't acting like a couple at all. Recognizing her mistake and desperate to remedy it, Jennifer pretended not to see the prying eyes and scooted closer to Piggeh, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder.

Piggeh, who was busy trying to interpret more of what the rocks were saying, jumped a little as he felt her weight on his arm. This was nothing new for them, of course, but the action reminded Piggeh of what exactly they were there to do. If they pulled this off, they wouldn't have to worry about their little accident ever again.

Following Jennifer's lead, Piggeh put his arm around her shoulders. Being so close to Piggeh in a way that was meant to come across as romantic was very uncomfortable for Jennifer, but she watched as the skeptical eyes vanished into the crowd. She sighed with relief; they were safe…for the time being. They just had to keep this up.

As the morning hours passed into afternoon, the two friends were sure to stay close to each other at all times and never let it seem like they were getting too distant. Although awkward at first, they eventually got used to the practice of Piggeh keeping his arm around Jennifer's shoulders. It made them look much more like a happy couple, and as the day pressed on Jennifer noticed less and less glaring eyes. Around late afternoon, after she and Piggeh had been there more than a few hours, Jennifer was called away from Piggeh by a group of old friends.

Jennifer hadn't been gone more than fifteen minutes when she looked back and saw Piggeh talking with another rock girl. At first Jennifer thought nothing of this; Piggeh had talked to many girls in the past, but then she realized _how_ he was talking to her. He was leaning on one elbow against the tree trunk with one hand supporting his head and the other on his hips. Jennifer knew this pose better than anyone else; it was his signature flirty pose. Jennifer's heart almost stopped when she saw Piggeh brush the blushing rock girl's hair out of her eyes. She excused herself from her friends and made a B line for her flirtatious, and apparently forgetful, friend.

Jennifer came up behind Piggeh and grabbed his arm. She tugged him down to her level, careful not to make a scene but beside herself with anger and anxiety.

"Have you forgotten what we're supposed to be doing?!" She sounded more frightened than angry as she whispered in his ear. "Now is not exactly the time to flirt."

Jennifer's face turned red as she looked into the crowd and saw the eyes that had vanished hours ago reappear with a vengeance. She saw their irises glint like silver blades, pressed against her throat and waiting for the first excuse to dig in. Jennifer's frail heart pounded in her chest. She quickly made it seem as though she were fixing Piggeh's hair rather than scolding him. Of all times for Piggeh to try and get some action, why did it have to be then?

Jennifer, despite the sheer terror she felt in the pit of her stomach, leaned in close to Piggeh and said in a relatively calm voice; "Please try to control yourself."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The eyes that had been on them since Piggeh's little slip up remained on them. Piggeh and Jennifer tried their best to make them look away; never leaving each other's side and every now and again playing with each other's hair, but still the oppressing eyes remained into early evening. Just as the sun turned amber and began sinking behind the roof of Brennenburg, a slender rock girl came striding up to Jennifer and Piggeh. They had seen glimpses of her among the crowd, but now it seemed as though the bashful rock had worked up the courage to come and "speak" to them. Jennifer and Piggeh took her thin hands in greeting, and Jennifer seemed to light up as soon as she saw her.

"Who's this, Jen?" Piggeh asked.

"Piggeh, this is someone very important I want you to meet." Jennifer smiled at the rock girl who was not much older than herself. "She's the one who'll be adopting the baby."

"She is? Great!" Piggeh gave a thankful smile to the rock girl. "So where's your boyfriend?"

The rock girl tossed her braided hair over her shoulder and timidly played with the tail of her black button-down blouse. Her feet were protected by the same black shoes as Jennifer wore, but you could hardly see them on account of her black skirt being so long it dragged the ground and partially hid her feet. She made a quick gesture to herself, shook her head, then motioned to Piggeh and Jennifer and pantomimed rocking a baby in her arms.

"She says she doesn't have a boyfriend," Jennifer translated. "But she's sure she'll make a great mother just the same."

"I don't really care if she does or not." Piggeh admitted, putting his hands on his hips. "I just want the kid off our hands."

"So do I, Piggeh," Jennifer said. "But I'll feel better knowing it's with someone who will care for it." She smiled at her fellow rock. "I think she'll be perfect for it."

The rock girl with the braid gave a shy smile in return. She held up her index finger, signaling the supposed couple to hold on a moment, and trotted quickly to a flower patch nearby. Seconds later she returned with two white flowers in her grasp, which she then gifted Jennifer and Piggeh with.

"What're these for?" Piggeh asked Jennifer as he examined the flower he had been given.

"These are carnations." Jennifer explained as she stroked the soft petals. "Every flower has a different meaning to us, and these mean 'gratitude'." Jennifer smiled sweetly at the other rock girl. "Thank you, and you're welcome."

The rock girl with the braid nodded and, smiling timidly at the two, turned and left. Jennifer smelled the scent of the carnation and twirled it in her fingers.

"She'll make a good mother." She said bittersweetly.

* * *

Before long the evening cast shadows over the garden, evaporating the heat of the day and leaving a relaxing coolness over the grass. Clusters of stars appeared in the sky as the amber sun lost its grip on the sky, and flashes of firefly light danced around the apple tree. Piggeh and Jennifer knew they couldn't stay past sunset; Brennenburg's hallways were at their most dangerous at night. As the last strip of sunlight was vanishing, the elder called everyone together to bid farewell to their guests.

After the attention of the crowd had been gained, the elder once again stepped aside and allowed Jennifer to speak;

"We both had a wonderful time," Jennifer said as Piggeh put his arm around her again. "Thank you so much for welcoming us into your home. You really made us feel like family."

The elder gestured to Jennifer, then smiled and motioned to the crowd. A few rocks in the crowd copied his motions.

"What are they saying?" Asked Piggeh.

"They're saying we're welcome back any time." Jennifer translated. Then she addressed her brethren; "Thank you, we'll be sure to remember your offer..."

As Jennifer spoke, she caught sight of pairs of skeptical eyes glinting in the fading light. She couldn't help but feel her mouth go dry as once again she felt their silver blades against her throat. It had been bad enough seeing them glare at her from behind the veil of a scattered crowd; but now they were all in one place, bearing down on her with their silent collective threat. Piggeh noticed them too as he looked over the crowd, and held Jennifer closer.

Jennifer was so fixated on the invasive glare of her brethren, that she almost didn't notice Piggeh's hand softly caressing her cheek. She _did_ notice, however, when his hand traveled down her cheek and tilted her chin up. Jennifer had no idea what Piggeh was doing, until he closed his eyes and slowly began moving towards her. Suddenly it was very clear what his intentions were, and Jennifer realized he was about to pull off a very convincing move. She braced herself for it, knowing the skeptic silver blades of her brethren would soon be off her throat.

But, just as the deed was inches away from being done, a sudden thought crashed over Jennifer and at the last second possible she turned her head. Piggeh's lips met Jennifer's cheek, and the pink haired man eyed his friend irritably as he stood there with his arm around her. Jennifer shrank out from under his arm and the two of them hastily made their way to the exit.

"…Bye." Jennifer waved to her brethren before closing the courtyard door behind her.

* * *

They walked in complete silence as they descended into the darkness of the castle. Night fell outside, stealing the precious light from the hallways of the residential wing. They traveled without a torch, trying not to attract the attention of a Gatherer. Every now and again they heard the creatures scraping around in the dark and quickened their step. Before long they reached the door that led to the Back Hall. They felt more at ease there, but even the tranquil Back Hall had an eerie essence to it in the dark. They somehow found the storage barracks door in the inky blackness of the air and finally began their trek down the hallway lined with suits of armor. They had nothing to fear from these statues for the moment, they would all be asleep until morning.

Finally they reached the storage barracks door, and they began the familiar decent down the cobblestone staircase beyond it. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Piggeh finally broke their silence;

"What happened back there?" He asked.

Jennifer shrugged.

"Why didn't you let me do it, Jen?" Piggeh sounded a little annoyed. "It would've shut those rocks up for good."

Jennifer said nothing.

"I thought we were together on this," Piggeh said, sitting down against the wall. "This was _your_ idea to begin with."

"We _are_ together on this, Piggeh." Jennifer said, sitting down against the opposite wall. "I just…I just…couldn't do it."

"You were completely up for being a couple this morning." Piggeh pointed out. "Why the sudden shift?"

Jennifer was quiet, sinking down into herself and resting her chin on her knees. "Pewdie." She said in a tiny voice. "I remembered Pewdie. I…I was all gung ho to play charades with you at first…but I was too blinded by the excitement of being a part of my family again to realize that it was making me betray Pewdie. I've never kissed anyone before, and I'd always planned on saving my first kiss for him. So when you did that…it made me realize what I was doing…and it made me feel really guilty." Jennifer blinked away a mist of tears from her eyes. "I love him, Piggeh. I really do."

"I know, Jen. I know." Piggeh smiled at her from across the torch-lit hallway. "But at least we're done with that mess. We don't have to see those crazy rocks again if we don't wanna; I don't even think we need to kiss to convince them. Seems to me like we did a pretty good job, seeing how we aren't dead."

"We convinced most of them." Jennifer sighed. "I'm just hoping the ones that kept looking at us don't start spreading rumors."

"I doubt anyone will buy 'em." Piggeh chuckled. "We shouldn't get worked up over a handful of rocks who had a hard time believing our amazing performance."

Jennifer giggled. "You're right."

"Duh, I'm always right." Piggeh smirked.

Jennifer rolled her eyes, and as she did her gaze fell to the slight bulge in her abdomen. She went somberly silent and for the first time placed a hand over her stomach. "Hey, Piggeh?"

"Yeah?"

"Didn't Mr. Chair tell you we could come to him if we had any questions about the baby?"

"Yeah." Piggeh shrugged. "He doesn't really understand that the kid isn't gonna be our problem."

"I want to go see him."

Piggeh gave Jennifer an annoyed stare. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Jen, we don't have to worry about the kid." Piggeh said. "It's that one rock's problem now. Let _her_ worry about it."

"Exactly." Jennifer said. "She _will_ worry about it, because she's such a sweet girl. When the baby's born I want to be able to tell her that there's nothing wrong to worry over. Both she and the baby will be happier that way."

"So…"

"So I want to see if the baby's healthy." Jennifer said, twirling the carnation she still had between her fingers. "That girl is one of my brethren; she deserves a healthy child."

Piggeh raised his eyebrow. "You really think that after everything your brethren did to you, that they _still_ deserve a healthy kid?

"They're my family, Piggeh." Jennifer said, tossing the carnation into the darkness. "You wouldn't understand."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

A tiny plume of dust exhaled from the book's pages as Mr. Chair snapped it shut with his hand. The green clad man, balancing on a rickety old ladder placed against the bookshelf, returned the novel to its proper place on the top shelf and selected another. After thumbing through the first few pages, he closed it with a nod of approval and handed it down to Jennifer, who was standing beside the ladder already carrying an armful of manuscripts the bookworm had collected. Jennifer struggled to balance the volumes as she reached up to receive another.

"I thought you and Piggeh were more concerned about not being caught than anything else. " Mr. Chair said as Jennifer took the book from his hand.

"That's right," Jennifer said as she added the book to the stack. "But it's not for us; it's for the adoptive mother."

Mr. Chair's lenses gleamed in the candlelight as he turned towards Jennifer. "Adoption? I didn't even know that was possible around here."

"For us rocks it is." Jennifer's arms were beginning to give out under the weight of the books. "The girl who's adopting is one of my brethren."

"Good for you." Mr. Chair stated as he tossed another hardbound book onto the stack. "Anything in particular you want me to check for?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what exactly there _could_ be," Jennifer fought to keep from dropping the books. "So why not just check for everything?"

"I see your point." Mr. Chair climbed down the creaking wooden ladder and took half the books off the stack, much to Jennifer's relief. He set them down on a nearby stationary and instructed Jennifer to do the same. Once everything was in place, Mr. Chair led Jennifer to one of the desks by the heating stove. "Wait here, I'll be right back." He said, patting the end of the table.

Jennifer lifted herself onto the table and Mr. Chair disappeared behind the bookshelves. Several minutes later he reappeared holding a large volume. Its title was confusing, but it mentioned something about medical science; Jennifer recognized it from her last visit with Mr. Chair. The scrawny chair set the open book down on the table next to Jennifer and intently started scrolling through it, running his index finger along the text as he read it. Jennifer tried to follow along, but Mr. Chair was a fast reader and kept flipping the pages before Jennifer could finish reading the paragraphs. It didn't really matter; it wasn't like she could understand anything the book was saying anyway. After a few moments of this, Mr. Chair paused his reading and sighed. He removed his glasses and cleaned them on his vest.

"According to this, there's more to it than I thought." He said as he returned his glasses to his eyes. "This place doesn't have half of the equipment this book talks about, so I won't be able to tell you anything too detailed."

"Oh." Jennifer looked disappointed, and a little concerned.

"But," Mr. Chair continued. "I _can_ give you the basics. … Let me see your arm."

Mr. Chair held out his hand and Jennifer, trusting her wise friend, placed her wrist in his open palm. Mr. Chair gripped her wrist tightly, something Jennifer wasn't expecting, and it made her wince a little.

"You're hurting me." She said softly, not wanting to upset the high-strung man.

"Stay still." He instructed flatly, gripping her wrist tighter.

Jennifer felt the blood pounding in her veins and the chill on her fingertips as they started to go numb. Still keeping his grip on her with one hand, Mr. Chair pressed two fingers from his other hand against Jennifer's pale skin. He paused for a short while, focusing on Jennifer's pulse below his fingers. Jennifer stared at him blankly, not sure what to make of all of this. Finally Mr. Chair's anaconda-like squeeze on her loosened and the rock girl felt the blood flood into her hand, returning color to her fingernails.

"You're blood pressure is normal." Mr. Chair stated. "That's a good sign."

"Wonderful." Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief, but still unsure of what just happened.

Mr. Chair flipped briefly through his book again. "Now that _your_ health has been confirmed, I suppose the only thing I can do for the infant is the same." Mr. Chair looked Jennifer over with his eyes. "How far along are you? Three months?"

"Yes, about that." Jennifer replied, playing with the ends of her hair.

"It's starting to become clear you're expecting." Mr. Chair said. "Have you been steering clear of the others?"

"For the most part," Jennifer sighed. "But…I miss Pewdie a lot. Even though it's only been a week since I last saw him…I still miss him."

"Mmm-hmm." Mr. Chair rolled his eyes as he double-checked the text in his book and closed it.

"I want to see him again, but I can't let him see me like this. It would ruin everything. I…I just wish I could see him one more time before this is over. Just so I can feel like things are normal agai-."

Jennifer was stopped by the feel of Mr. Chair's hand on her stomach. Alarmed by the touch, she defensively slapped his hand away. Mr. Chair held up his hands submissively, understanding that his approach might have been a bit abrasive.

"Forgive me if I was invasive," He said. "But this is necessary for me to determine the infant's health."

Jennifer paused for a bit, looking at her reflection in Mr. Chair's glasses. It didn't take her long to remember that she could trust her bro, and she relaxed a little. "Okay."

Slowly, as not to alarm her again, Mr. Chair repositioned his hands on the curve of Jennifer's stomach. Placing gentle pressure here and there, he gradually migrated his hands around her waist. As he examined her, Jennifer seared with humiliation and tried to focus her attention elsewhere. She was just beginning to lose herself in one of the grand paintings hanging over the bookshelves, when she was brought back by Mr. Chair gently taking her wrist in his hand.

"Place your hand here." He said as he set Jennifer's hand over a specified place on her stomach. "Feel that?"

Jennifer's eyes grew wide as she felt strange little poundings under her hand that she was certain were not her own. "What _is_ that?"

"That's the infant's heartbeat." Mr. Chair explained. "It can't alert us to any deformities or illnesses the infant may have, but it does at least let us know it's alive."

"That's good enough for me." Jennifer felt a smile spread over her lips.

"I'm sorry I can't do more for you, Jennifer." Mr. Chair apologized as he went to return his book to the shelf. "Perhaps we'll be able to know more later on in development."

"But the baby's fine, right?" Jennifer asked, still feeling the tiny heartbeat.

"I'm not saying anything for certain," Mr. Chair said just before he vanished behind a shelf. "But as long as there's a heartbeat, we have no reason to worry."

"That's good." Jennifer smiled down at her abdomen and the little heartbeat inside it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

With a heavy clunk the courtyard door closed behind Jennifer. She stood in place for a moment, waiting for her eyes to readjust to the darkness of the hallway after spending nearly an hour in the sunlit garden. Her skin prickled as a draft sighed through the corridor, its icy fingers stealing the summer's warmth away from her body. Once again she was a part of the castle, no longer the sun-bathed creature she was in the garden. Rubbing her forearms for warmth, she began the old familiar trip back to the barracks. Her visit to the garden that day had been brief, but Jennifer wouldn't have minded if had lasted all day. She adored being with her brethren, and because she had come alone this time there had been no oppressive eyes there to worry her. She was one of them again, a true member of their family; but she had promised Piggeh that she would return in less than an hour, so her visit had ended.

She hadn't come there to socialize; she had come for one reason and one only. It had been a few days since her visit to Mr. Chair, and Jennifer had felt it necessary to let the adopting mother know that the child was healthy. Piggeh didn't see the necessity of it, but Jennifer had gone to see her brethren anyway. The rock girl with the braided hair had been very grateful for the information, and had shown Jennifer the little pair of socks she had woven in return. Holding the tiny black socks in the palms of her hands had caused a smile to form on Jennifer's lips. The adoption was months away, but it had pleased her to see that her fellow rock was already preparing for it.

Jennifer found herself walking the dark hallways of the residential wing effortlessly. Although her eyes were failing her in the dim light, her feet had walked that path so many times that they now seemed to be guiding themselves. They guided themselves so well, in fact, that Jennifer practically had to force them to stop when she saw something up ahead. A lantern's yellow light cast shadows from an adjacent hallway, and with it came the sounds of voices; two very distinct voices that Jennifer recognized instantly. Noticing an open door to her right, she ducked inside the unlit room just as the lantern light rounded the corner.

"Idiot!" Stephano's French accent echoed down the hallway. "I can't believe you!"

"I said I was sorry." Pewdie's voice said in response. "What more do you want from me? It wasn't even that bad."

"You threw me in the _moat_!"

Jennifer opened the door a crack and peeked through. The two adventurers came into view, walking down the opposite way she had come from. As the lantern reflected off Stephano's metallic robes Jennifer could see that the golden statue was dripping wet. She stifled a chuckle.

"So? It scared the water monster off." Pewdie shrugged.

Stephano wrung out the corner of his tunic and punched his companion in the arm before the two disappeared down a branching hallway. Jennifer opened the door a little more, trying to catch every fleeting glimpse she could of the blonde young man. Shadows cast by the lantern shrank and shortened as its owner moved farther and farther away. Once the light had been completely replaced by shadows, Jennifer quietly opened the door and slipped outside. She crept to the end of the hallway and cautiously peered around the corner. The two men walked along down the other end of the hallway, both of them silhouetted in an aura of lantern light. Jennifer felt her heart begin to beat faster as the faint glimmer of Pewdie's eyes caught her sight. After a long week of absence from him the sight of Pewdie's sparkling blue eyes, even at a distance, was enough to rekindle the flame. All at once the rock girl's veins overflowed with the longing she felt for the young man, and she felt herself moving towards him as if being pulled along by a current.

However, Jennifer quickly realized what she was doing and dug her heels into the floor to stop herself. What was she thinking?! She couldn't go after Pewdie like she normally did, not this time. Jennifer laid a hand over her abdomen, reminding herself why she had to stay away from him. Her pregnancy was beginning to become obvious, and she had to avoid others as much as possible. But, like a forbidden fruit, Jennifer was still drawn to Pewdie as she always was; and as she watched her love from afar, the desire to follow him began to overtake the need to stay away.

Jennifer ran her hand along the wall as she took a few timid steps forward. She knew she shouldn't, but she wanted to. She stepped lightly a few more paces, careful not to make the weak floorboards below her creak. The light of the lantern began to fade away as the distance between the adventurers and the rock girl grew. Jennifer quickened her step, desperate not to lose sight of the glow that meant the one she loved was near. She chased after the glow not realizing what was happening until she stood just beyond the ring of flickering light, barely hidden from the famous duo by thin shadows. Startled at the realization of what she'd done Jennifer stood frozen in place, terrified that she'd be noticed if she moved. After a quick moment Pewdie and Stephano moved on and the danger of the light went with them. Jennifer gave a quivering sigh of relief and, figuring she'd gotten close enough to Pewdie for her liking, turned to retreat down the hall.

She hadn't taken more than three steps when she stopped again. Biting her lip she glanced over her shoulder and watched Pewdie as he scrambled through the rooms, talking and laughing with Stephano. She'd gotten dangerously close to them, but they hadn't noticed her. Who was to say they wouldn't notice her if she stayed farther back? An idea came to Jennifer, but she pushed the thought aside and tried to continue home; but the thought came again, and this time it couldn't be shoved away. What if she could follow Pewdie without being noticed? She'd just proved how close she could get to him and still be unseen. Heck, he didn't seem to notice her half the time anyway. Yeah, she could pull this off. She'd only follow him for a couple minutes, and then go straight to the barracks. Piggeh didn't have to know about, no one did. Besides, there was nothing wrong with it as long as Pewdie didn't see her…right?

Jennifer didn't wait for an answer; she went after the duo, creeping along the walls and ducking behind obstacles when available. She followed the pair of adventurers at a safe distance, careful to avoid being seen in the light and sticking to the shadows for camouflage. The "couple minutes" she had limited herself to melted away, and Jennifer lost track of time completely. She silently stalked the blonde young Swede and his companion throughout the residential wing of Brennenburg, until the yellow sunlight shining in through the curtained windows was replaced by the red light of evening. She made no attempt to speak to Pewdie; for now, just watching him was enough. As time marched on, Jennifer ducked from shadow to shadow and was able to stay out of Pewdie's sight. Gaining confidence with each passing minute, Jennifer slowly let her guard down and began following the Swede closer.

Eventually the explorers reached a large metal door, chained up tightly to prevent anyone from entering. As Pewdie and Stephano inspected the lock, Jennifer hid behind a suit of armor. Normally Jennifer would have hid _from_ the statue rather than behind it, but there was nothing to fear from it now; the armor's helmet lay at its feet, having been untrusted by Pewdie moments ago.

"Oh, that's just great." Pewdie sighed as he tugged at the padlock on the door. "We need a key to open it."

"Who said anything about a key?" Stephano asked. "All you need, Pewdie, is a good hammer."

"Alright, smart one." Pewdie said sarcastically. "You tell me where we can find a hammer in this part of the castle?"

"I have no idea." Stephano rolled his eyes. "I thought _you_ knew, but I guess that was too much to expect from you!"

As the two went off on another argument, Jennifer couldn't help but notice an open chest sitting on the other side of the suit of armor. Standing on her toes to see around the armor's breastplate, Jennifer was just able to see the iron head of a hammer resting inside the open lid. Jennifer glanced over to Pewdie and the golden stature; they were still duking it out over which one had overlooked a hammer in the previous rooms. At this rate, they wouldn't be finding that hammer anytime soon and Jennifer knew she had to return to the barracks before nightfall. Once they passed through the door, she promised herself, she would go home; but the problem was that neither Pewdie nor Stephano were going anywhere without the hammer, and Jennifer didn't have time to wait on them.

Reaching as carefully as she could around the frame of the armor, Jennifer stretched her hand out for the blunt instrument. Her fingertips brushed the item, but that was the extent of her reach. Going as quietly and as slowly as she could, Jennifer stepped around the armor, balancing her weight as she leaned in to seize the important object. Jennifer closed her hand around the wooden handle and lifted it out of the chest. Item in hand, Jennifer began lightly swinging her arm, building up momentum to toss the object across the hallway for the adventurers to find.

Just as she took aim, however, her balance faltered. As she stumbled, Jennifer felt her shoe collide with a bottle of sanity potion at the base of the armor, kicking it over on its side. There was a sharp _tink_ as the glass bottle made contact with the hardwood floor, and Jennifer's breath caught as Pewdie and Stephano looked her way. Jennifer quickly leapt behind the suit of armor, praying that they hadn't seen her, but she knew it was too late for prayers when Pewdie called out to her:

"Jennifer? Jennifer, is that you?"

Jennifer bit her lip so hard it turned white. Knowing it was useless to hide now, she peered out from behind the armor, still keeping her body hidden behind the shining frame. "Hi, Pewdie." She squeaked out.

"I haven't seen you in days." Pewdie chuckled.

"And that's a bad thing?" Stephano crossed his arms over his chest as he addressed his young companion.

"Yehe…yeah." Jennifer tried to chuckle along with Pewdie, but she was shaking too bad to say much. She stayed quiet after that, for once hoping that the two would forget about her and move on, but Pewdie immediately noticed the item she had in her hand.

"Hey!" He said, pointing. "You found a hammer, awesome!"

Jennifer had forgotten all about the hammer in her moment of panic. "Yeah," She said uncertainly. "I…thought you might need it."

"Here, hand it over." Pewdie held out his hand, expecting Jennifer to walk over and hand it to him.

Jennifer was completely trapped. She knew she had to get out of there and fast, but the two men had her cornered. She couldn't leave her hiding place, not unless she wanted everything to fall apart. Panicking, Jennifer threw the hammer in Pewdie's direction, making the two men dive out of its way as it struck the wall behind them.

"Jesus Christ!" Stephano said as he dusted himself off. "Watch where you're throwing that, rock!"

"It's cool, Stephano." Pewdie said as he picked up the hammer. "Nobody got hurt." He turned back to Jennifer. "Where'd you find this?"

"It was…just over here." Jennifer slunk back further behind the armor. "In a chest."

"There's a chest over there? Cool, I'll check it-."

"It's empty." Jennifer said quickly before Pewdie could get too close.

Pewdie snapped his fingers in disappointment but Stephano furrowed his brow, as if he wasn't fully convinced.

"You mean to tell me that whole chest was just for one little hammer?" Stephano scowled, looking very doubtful of the rock girl's words.

Jennifer gulped. A crate or a pot would've been one thing to keep a hammer in, but chests were much larger. They could hold bountiful amounts of items, and a part of her fluttered mind recalled seeing the glint of a laudanum bottle somewhere inside the chest.

"…Yes…" Jennifer made herself as invisible as possible behind the armor. Her heart was pounding through her chest. It was well known among the bros that Stephano was very thorough in his search for items, determined to find every resource he could to help preserve his friend. Jennifer flinched as it looked for a second like Stephano was making a move for the chest, but the sound of heavy metal claws scrapping the other side of the metal door soon had everyone's attention.

Stephano unsheathed his sword and aimed it at the ready as Pewdie shrieked and hastily put out his lantern. A curtain of darkness closed over the hallway, the fading twilight providing it no light at all. Jennifer, seizing the precious opportunity fate had given her, fled down the darkened hall and made her escape around the corner just as a Gatherer broke the door off its hinges. She didn't stop to look back as she backtracked through the corridors, pure adrenaline keeping her moving; because now there were _two_ things she couldn't afford to let see her: Pewdie, and the creature.

Luckily, she had been able to escape them both.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The eeriness of the Back Hall at night didn't faze Jennifer as she threw open its doors. Her feet kept moving, almost afraid to stop, down the stairs and across the marble floor. Instinct let her find her way in the dark, so intent on reaching the barracks that she didn't even stop to let her eyes catch up to the blackness of the room. Because of this Jennifer was unable to see anything around her, not even the certain someone sitting at the fountain's edge.

"Where were you, Jen? You said you'd be back in an hour."

Jennifer's teeth clamped down on her tongue to keep herself from yelping in surprise. She had expected Piggeh to either be asleep right now or with some random inhabitant of the castle having a nightly round of fun. Her nerves were already shot and this was the last thing she needed. She stayed silent and perfectly still, hoping that she would merge into the shadows and disappear. Unfortunately, she did not. As her eyes adjusted more to the dark, she could see Piggeh's outline on the edge of the pool. The dull white of his teeth made him more visible as he flashed a smirking smile Jennifer's way.

"You're not gonna tell me you were lost, are you?" He teased in his usual Piggeh way. "'Cause we both know that's a lie. We both know that's a lie, Jen."

Jennifer still said nothing. Her muscles began to quiver was the adrenaline wore off, leaving her feel drained and confused. She couldn't let Piggeh know where she was and what she was doing, but she knew standing there like an idiot wasn't making her look any less guilty. She glanced at Piggeh, then looked away.

"Whoa man, you look guilty." Piggeh grinned. "What did 'ya do, Jen?"

Deep down Jennifer knew her efforts were pointless. She already knew Piggeh could read her like a book; there was no keeping anything from him. This didn't stop Jennifer from trying her best to ignore him, of course, but her close call with Pewdie had left her emotions spinning. The aftershocks of her ordeal plus the cocktail of hormones in her system finally wore her down, and she gave in.

"Would you please stop teasing me, Piggeh?" Jennifer hugged her arms to stop from shivering. "You _know_ I was with Pewdie; stop torturing me with it!"

"Yeah, I figured." Piggeh lost his smirk, the fun of the accusation lost. "You're never gone that long unless you're with him."

"Are you angry with me?" Jennifer turned towards her bro, biting her lip.

Jennifer took one look at Piggeh's expression and had her question answered; he was glaring at her from under his pink bangs. Piggeh was never one to get angry. He'd get upset sometimes, but never angry. So far the angriest Jennifer had ever seen him was when she had told him she was pregnant, but usually he never lost his laid-back attitude. Right now, Jennifer could tell he was starting to get angry.

"So 'ya wanna tell me what happened?" Piggeh asked.

"_Nothing_ happened." Jennifer nervously played with her sleeves. "I just…followed him around a little. I thought it wouldn't hurt as long as he didn't see me."

"_Did_ he see you?"

"No!" Jennifer said assertively, but then she slunk back a bit and reconsidered her answer. "Well…not really…I guess? Okay, yes. Yes, he saw me."

"Jen, are you nuts?!" Piggeh slapped his palm into his forehead, trying his best to keep his cool.

"Piggeh, it's okay. He didn't see anything." Jennifer sat beside Piggeh and took his hand away from his face so he would look at her. "He noticed me, but I was able to stay hidden; and I was able to get away without anyone knowing."

Jennifer smiled sheepishly, hoping that was enough to defuse the situation, but Piggeh continued to give her an annoyed and slightly angry look.

"Was it really worth risking everything like that?" He asked her flatly.

A needle of anger pricked Jennifer. She didn't like being scolded, and she wasn't exactly in the mood for it now. Besides, how _dare_ he blame her for wanting to be with the only man she'd ever loved! Her heart pounded as hormones turned the tiny prick into a fatal stabbing.

"Of course it was!" She glowered at Piggeh, her silver eyes flashing in the dark. "I can't _stand_ being away from him! I had to see him one more time, I _had_ to!"

"Jen, calm down." Piggeh scooted back a few inches, distancing himself from the sudden rage of the rock girl. "I don't wanna argue with-."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Jennifer snapped. "You have no idea what it's like! You're the one who sleeps around with everyone; you have no _idea_ what it's like to love someone!"

Piggeh stayed silent, having absolutely no objections to Jennifer's statement. Jennifer's anger lessened a tad, allowing her a moment for her blood to settle again. Hot tears stung her irises, and her muscles quaked once more from the effects of the adrenaline still rushing through her. She blinked away the tears and looked at the floor, too upset to make eye contact.

"I know what I did was wrong," She said quietly. "But I couldn't help myself. I just love him too much."

Piggeh was a bit startled by Jennifer's abrupt mood swings, and wondered if they had anything to do with her pregnancy. Almost frightened to speak to her for fear of another outburst, he reached out and did what he usually did to calm her down; stroking her hair softly with his hand. Calming down at the familiar feeling, Jennifer's emotions finally caved in on themselves and the tears escaped her eyelids.

"I'm sorry for what I did, Piggeh." Jennifer said as she dabbed her eyes on her sleeve. "I was selfish and careless, and I really could've screwed things up for us. Can you forgive me?"

"Whatd'ya talking about, Jen?" Piggeh grinned sarcastically, playing with the ends of Jennifer's darkly colored hair. "'Course I can…but I think it's about time you stayed in the barracks for a while."

"Yeah, I know." Jennifer sniffled. "I should've done that a long time ago, but I guess now I have no choice."

"It won't be so bad; you'll still have me around." Piggeh reassured her with a wink. "Don't forget, Mr. Chair is still in on this too."

"I hope you're right." Jennifer sighed. She had a distant look in her eyes, as if she were thinking deeply.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Piggeh asked.

"You know something, Piggeh?" Jennifer said sadly. "At first I couldn't be with Pewdie only when I was with my brethren, but now I can't be with him at all."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

If she had ever wondered what it felt like to be a prisoner in her own home, Jennifer soon found out. Her close call with Pewdie had made her realize it wasn't safe to roam around the castle any more, and that the dark chambers of the barracks offered much more safety; at least from being seen. She confined herself to the lower levels of Brennenburg, which mainly consisted on the dungeon and the storage barracks. Jennifer was careful to stay clear of the dungeon, where the Gatherers and Barrels were plenty, so that left her with only the barracks to explore. The repetitive shelves and crates of the barracks were nothing special to look at, so Jennifer usually found herself huddled in a dark corner or napping on a low-hanging shelf. Needless to say, life for the rock girl became really boring really fast.

Boredom was just one obstacle to overcome. With each day that passed, Jennifer grew more and more anxious. Being kept away from the love of her life was tearing her apart, and it was all Piggeh could do to keep her from stress eating again. Sometimes he could even hear her crying in the middle of the night from her sleeping place, but as the weeks wore on this eventually stopped. Piggeh, just as he had promised, was there to provide for her. Every morning he would sneak into the kitchen before the rest of the castle had woken up, and would always manage to bring back whatever edible morsels he could find.

This was the only time of day he was able to this, however, because every afternoon he would ascend the staircase to the upper levels. Despite their predicament, they still needed to keep up appearances; so Piggeh would go and find the other bros, all the while pretending nothing was wrong. Jennifer, as much as it pained her, knew she didn't need to mirror Piggeh's actions. No one was missing her; they probably didn't even notice she was missing, but that at least made their charade easier to pull off.

Jennifer was not a total prisoner of the barracks, though. There was one day every week when she was able to leave the musty old catacombs, and come up to the upper levels for a breath of fresh air. These were the days when she would visit Mr. Chair in the library, going on his suggestion that a weekly health examination would be best for both her and the baby. The visits had to be early in the mornings, again to assure no one would see her; but Jennifer looked forward to them, as they were honestly the only things she _could_ look forward to.

Week after week melted away following this exact pattern, dotted with the occasional Gatherer passing by or Pewdie venturing through the barracks on his most recent adventure. The pair of friends managed to come out unscathed from these instances; because every time they happened Piggeh would distract Pewdie from Jennifer with his antics until he had finished his business there, and would hide quietly in the shadows with her until the servant of Alexander had left. Unfortunately, these small occurrences where not enough to make near imprisonment tolerable for Jennifer.

* * *

It had been almost a solid five weeks since she had agreed to conceal herself within the walls of the lower levels, and Jennifer was regretting every minute of it. Apart from the uneventful days and constant heartache, the one thing she could not stand was the darkness. Such a statement, at least for a resident of Brennenburg, was exceptionally odd; but for Jennifer it was true. She was a creature who was born and raised in the garden, and much like the flowers of the garden, she seemed to be wilting in the constant shade.

"I'm so sick of this." Jennifer grumbled as she sat slumped over on a shelf, tearing off a chunk of the loaf of bread in her hands.

"I can't help it, Jen." Piggeh shrugged as he sat on the shelf opposite of Jennifer's, attempting to eat his share of the stale bread. "Bread's sorta the only thing I've been able to find recently. I'm sure there'll be some good stuff soon."

"Not of the food." Jennifer flicked the chunk of bread onto the floor and watched the rats swarm to claim it. "Of this place; just the same thing day after day, week after week. I'm so tired of it!"

"Hey, hang in there; only four more months to go." Piggeh grinned, accidentally glancing at Jennifer's abdomen which had become a little hard to miss over the weeks. "You can hold out for four more months, can't you?"

"I really doubt it." Jennifer, not hungry, tossed the rest of the loaf to the rats. She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "I haven't been feeling my best; I'm beginning to feel really weak."

"Didn't Mr. Chair say that was normal?" Piggeh never accompanied Jennifer on her visits to Mr. Chair, but she always reported back to him what he had said; regardless if he wanted to hear it or not. "Something about 'lower energy levels'?"

"I think it's because I'm down here all the time." Jennifer said as she tried to soothe her headache. "All this dankness isn't good for me. I miss the days when I could go upstairs, at least there are windows upstairs."

Piggeh laughed lightly. "How are windows supposedt'a help?"

"Not the windows, Piggeh." Jennifer looked annoyed, clearly not in the mood for his games. "The sunlight. The sun does wonders for a person; it would make me feel so much better."

"If you say so, Jen." Piggeh shrugged again with his usual playful smirk, propping one of his legs up next to him on the shelf.

"…Hey, Piggeh?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, I've just been thinking lately and…" Jennifer sounded hesitant. "I just got the idea that…maybe it would be better for me if I…left for a bit."

Piggeh paused briefly and gave Jennifer a confused look. "You mean, like, leaving _here_?"

"Yeah." Jennifer said uncomfortably. "Listen, Piggeh, maybe it would be best if I went back to my brethren. The garden is so much better than here! I mean, Pewdie hardly ever goes there and it's practically as safe as the Back Hall."

"I get it, Jen." Piggeh smiled, but still seemed uneasy. "I totally get it, but…"

"But what?"

"Nothin' really." Piggeh gave a wavering chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, 'ya know, it's cool and all; but don't you think it'd be a little weird?"

"How would it be weird?" Jennifer shrugged.

"C'mon, Jen." Piggeh said as if it were obvious. "We've both lived down here a long time, haven't we? Just you and me, hangin' out together as bros and all; won't you miss that?"

It was true. The two friends had rarely been apart since they had first met. They shared the barracks, and not to mention they were both a part of the Bro Army. They had never thought anything of it, but the thought of it coming to an end so suddenly put them both in a state they never expected to be in. Jennifer had never heard Piggeh do this before; normally he would enthusiastically encourage her plans, but now it was as if he were trying to get her to reconsider. What was even stranger to the rock girl was that she _herself_ was feeling a bit reluctant to leave.

"I-It won't be forever." Jennifer said as she lifted herself off the shelf, her balance a bit off center from the extra weight she was carrying. Subconsciously she knew she was saying this not just for her friend, but also for herself. "I'll still come back to see Mr. Chair every week, and when I do I'll be sure to visit you."

Piggeh couldn't hide behind his smile anymore, and his disappointment was clear. "You sure you don't wanna stay, Jen?"

"I'm sure." Jennifer put on a little grin. She crossed the isle between the two shelves and gave Piggeh a friendly squeeze around the shoulders. "You've always made me see the right side of things, Piggeh, so why don't I return the favor? If I leave, I'll be doing you a favor. You won't have to be a part of this mess anymore; you'll be able to go back to your normal life, and by the time I come back I'll be able to do the same."

"No one will know any different, huh?"

"Exactly." Jennifer giggled as she repeated Piggeh's own words back to him. "So you're okay with this?"

"I ain't gonna stop 'ya, if that's what you're thinking." Piggeh's halfhearted smile returned to his face. He nodded towards the stairs down the hall and said with an air of disappointment; "Go on, Jen. Have fun."

The decision having been made and with nothing more prompting her to stay, Jennifer sighed and released her friend from her embrace as she made her way into the torch lit hallway. As she prepared to proceed down the corridor, she looked back over her shoulder at Piggeh and smiled.

"I guess I'll see you soon." She said, deep down wanting to prolong her departure as long as possible.

"Yeah," Piggeh half-grinned back. "See 'ya soon."

Jennifer gave a silent nod and vanished into the shadows as she walked further and further down the hall. After a long period of quiet, the sound of a heavy door opening and closing echoed off the damp stone walls. For the first time in a very long time, Piggeh was utterly alone; and if there was anything about Piggeh that his bros all knew, it was that he hated being alone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The limbs of the apple tree and their leafy foliage provided a shady sanctuary for Jennifer. Away from the heat of the summer sun, she sat contently against the trunk of the old tree and wove the thin black fibers together between her fingers. Her nimble fingertips moved effortlessly this way and that, skillfully bringing the fibers together to form a silky black fabric. This was how the majority of the castle's inhabitants made their clothing; by finding whatever materials they could and weaving them into fabrics. Weaving, at least to the rocks, was much more of a female occupation so Jennifer had learned the craft at a very young age; as did all the other rock girls in the group.

Jennifer was not alone in her activity, for beside her sat an old familiar face. The rock girl with the braided hair sat cross-legged beside her in the pool of shade under the tree, her fingers occupied with the same task as Jennifer's were. Sitting in front of the two of them was a semi-circle of other females, all busy with their own weaving. Ever since Jennifer had moved back into the garden, all of the young female rocks in the group had been buzzing with excitement. Because the rocks tended to help raise the children of their brethren, nearly all the female rocks were already doing their part to help both Jennifer and the adopting mother prepare for the new arrival.

So far Jennifer had spent her entire day with these other female rocks, and she couldn't have been happier for it. Returning to the garden was doing wonders for her health; the sunlight and fresh fruit rejuvenating her energy and overall well-being. Her return not only improved her health, but her brethren's acceptance of her as well. They had welcomed her with open arms when she had come to visit in the past few months, but now that she was once again a part of them, Jennifer could've sworn it was as if she had never left. As if she had never left at all.

Summers were always long and warm at Brennenburg, but the breezes that blew through the garden were becoming cooler by the day, signaling the approach of a harsh winter ahead. For the rocks, this time of year was the most difficult; if summers were warm, then winters were freezing. As soon as the first snow fell, the garden plants would die, the apple tree would no longer bear fruit, and there would only be ice to serve as drinking water. As soon as the breezes started turning colder, the group began making preparations for the coming winter: gathering seeds and plant material, storing up on food, and creating warm winter blankets and heavy cloths to keep out the chill.

Despite the changing seasons, Jennifer and her fellow females were not weaving cloth that would be made into winter apparel. The rock girl with the braids had a small stack of tiny black socks beside her on the grass, another female rock had a pile of small black shirts adjacent to her, and the rest wove a special cottony material into cloth that was to be used as diapers. Jennifer herself even had the shape of a small pair of pants appearing from the fibers lacing around her fingers. As Jennifer and the others sat around weaving clothing for the future addition to their family, as any group of females would, they socialized.

"_Can you believe it's almost winter already?"_ A rock girl said by motioning her eyes towards the sky. Without anyone there to translate to, Jennifer was able to understand her brethren's signings without issue.

"_I agree. It seems like summer started just yesterday, doesn't it?"_ Another agreed by nodding her head.

"_There's no reason to worry yet."_ Yet another chimed in by gently shaking her head and making a quick shrug. _"The first snowfall isn't for a while. We'll have everything prepared by then."_

"_I wasn't saying we should be worried."_ The first rock girl insisted with a shard turn of the head. _"I was just saying that it seems to be coming sooner than we expected."_

"_It only seems that way."_ The other added with a subtle hand gesture.

Jennifer "listened" to her brethren talk amongst themselves as her fingers continued to construct the baby trousers from the black fibers. She glanced over at the rock girl with the braid as she added another finished pair of socks to her stack. The other rock girl noticed Jennifer's glance and nodded friendly to acknowledge her. The two of them sat there, listening politely to their fellow rocks chat as they went about their work.

Jennifer paused her weaving a moment and eyed a snack she had set out for herself. Sitting beside her was a small heap of freshly plucked honeysuckle flowers. Taking one of the petite flowers between her thumb and forefinger, Jennifer bit off the green stem and gently drank the sweet nectar from inside the white petals. Flicking the empty flower away when she had finished, she was just reaching for another one when she noticed her fellow rocks staring at her strangely. Despite the rocks being mostly vegetarian, they rarely ate any plant other than fruits or vegetables. The only reason Jennifer had had the desire to drink nectar at all was due to odd cravings she had developed recently.

"What?" Jennifer asked.

"_How many of those things have you eaten?"_ A rock girl asked with her eyes.

"A few." Jennifer shrugged as she bit off the stem of another flower and drank its nectar.

"_Should she be eating those?"_ One rock girl asked the other with a quiet movement.

"_She's fine."_ The other rock girl replied to her friend. _"It's just cravings."_

The rock girl with the braids smiled and shook her head in playful pity, staying completely out of the conversation. Jennifer drank down another flowerful of nectar and flicked the empty petals aside.

"_She'd better be careful,"_ Another rock girl signed with an audible giggle. _"Or she might just eat herself sick!"_

The group of females chuckled, but Jennifer didn't make a noise. She had frozen, holding a honeysuckle between her fingers, looking at it blankly. All at once a memory had come back to her, a memory she had almost forgotten in the hectic past months. There was once a time when she _had_ eaten herself sick, in fact, there was several times when she had done that. They were always awful experiences, usually occurring when she was emotionally distressed, but there was always one person there to desperately try and stop her from doing it: Piggeh.

Several days ago, when Jennifer had first returned to her brethren, there were those who had questioned where Piggeh was and why he wasn't moving into the garden with his "girlfriend"; to which Jennifer had simply replied that Piggeh was uncomfortable in the garden and wished to remain living in the castle. After all, it wasn't a _total_ lie. After that, Jennifer had kept Piggeh out of her thoughts for the most part, never really stopping to think of him whilst being intergraded back in with her kind, but now that memory had reared its head and she couldn't _stop_ thinking about him.

A strange little feeling bit Jennifer under the ribs, in the center of her chest. It was a familiar feeling, like something that might've kept her awake at night, but at the same time it was alien and new. Whatever it was, it made Jennifer very uncomfortable and she shook her head to clear it. It didn't work for very long.

The feeling returned as more memories of Piggeh snuck their way into Jennifer's mind, but she kept shoving it aside just as fast as it came. She must have fought this internal battle for quite some time, as she was finally driven from her thoughts by a light touch on her shoulder. The rock girl with the braid gave Jennifer a concerned look as she laid her hand upon her shoulder.

"Sorry," Jennifer smiled awkwardly as she realized all the other female rocks were giving her the same look. "I was just…daydreaming."

Only a daydream, perhaps, but no matter what she tried Jennifer couldn't shake the nagging feeling at her heels.

"It has to be hormones." Jennifer said to herself as she finished weaving the tiny pair of pants. "They're the reason I'm feeling so upset for no reason. They have to be."

It was at that moment that she remembered that she was scheduled for a checkup with Mr. Chair the next morning. Surely he would know what this feeling was…hopefully. Jennifer finished up the pants and held them up in front of her. This whole pregnancy thing was so confusing; she had no idea what was normal, and what wasn't. She was lucky to have an intelligent friend like Mr. Chair to be there for her, but there were some questions that even he couldn't answer.

Jennifer moved her eyes from the pair of infant-size pants in her hands, to the rock girl with the braided hair, and then back to the pants. Sighing, she folded the pants up and set them aside.

"I just hope I'm doing the right thing." She thought.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The flint struck the firesteel sharply, spitting out a few hot sparks over the wick of the candle. One of the sparks met the waxy string and caused it to catch, creating a soft flickering light around the table. Mr. Chair set the tinderbox aside, having used it up in the process of lighting the candle. There weren't very many torches in Brennenburg, especially in the library, so it was all Mr. Chair could do to maintain a steady supply of candlelight for his favorite room in the castle. Taking the wax light by its handle, the green clad man moved it to a table close by where he had already piled a stack of books. Setting the light source beside him, Mr. Chair took a seat and selected a book off the top of the stack. He opened its cover and contently flipped through it until he came to the place he had bookmarked for himself.

The chair began to lose himself as he read the neatly printed words on the pages. Time ticked away unnoticed as he turned page after page of the manuscript, his reading light steadily growing dimmer as the wax candle began to shrink. Entranced by his reading, the bookworm soon lost awareness of his surroundings and didn't notice at all when the large library doors opened and shut behind him. Nor did he notice the footsteps that crept up behind him in the dark; or the other presence that was soon standing right next to him, leaning against the table and reading over his shoulder. So when Mr. Chair finally saw Piggeh out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't do much to avoid him. Mr. Chair gave his deceased friend an irritated side-glance as Piggeh turned a page of the book.

"What are you doing?" He asked with an annoyed sigh.

"Reading." Piggeh said playfully, turning another page.

"You hate reading." Mr. Chair furrowed his brow.

"Yeh, that's why I'm looking at the pictures."

"This book doesn't have pictures."

"And that's why I'm bored."

Mr. Chair calmly bookmarked his stopping place and closed the cover of the manuscript. Irritated at having his reading disturbed, he removed his glasses and massaged between his eyes where his spectacles had left red marks.

"Take a seat, Piggeh." He said as pleasantly as he could.

"Nah, I'm good standing." Piggeh's voice now came from farther away, close to one of the bookshelves.

Mr. Chair returned his glasses to their proper place in front of his eyes and looked to see where his friend had gone off to. Drafts had blown out many of the candles in the library, so the room was darker than usual. Taking the candle with him, Mr. Chair rose from his seat and traveled in the direction of Piggeh's voice. The figure of the pink haired man appeared in the wavering candlelight, pulling books off the shelf and glancing at their covers before placing them randomly back.

"Piggeh, please!" Mr. Chair nudged the pig aside. Placing the candle on the ledge, he frantically began rearranging the novels to their original order. "I just alphabetized these this morning!"

Piggeh shrugged, finding Mr. Chair's compulsive need for organization amusing. "Sorry, bro."

The scrawny chair gave Piggeh a bothered glance over his shoulder as he sorted his books. "Why are you here?" He asked, trying to sound polite over his annoyance. "You rarely show up here unless you have a good reason." Mr. Chair grimaced at the memory of Piggeh's last visit to him.

"No good reason this time," Piggeh said with a one-shouldered shrug. "It's just been real boring around here lately. Needed somethin' to do."

Mr. Chair cleared his throat awkwardly. "That's surprising to hear, Piggeh." He said with a touch of belittlement. "You don't seem like a person who runs out of 'things to do'."

"Heh, true." Piggeh grinned, brushing the hair out of his eyes. "But things just haven't been that interesting since Jen left."

Mr. Chair cocked an eyebrow. "Jennifer left?"

"Yeah," Piggeh said with a sigh. "She wanted to live with the other rocks again. She said it would be better for her."

"Hmmm, well this is news to me." Mr. Chair said as he placed the last book back on the shelf. "But I agree with her, going back to the garden _is_ probably better for her. It's much healthier than being shut up in this dank castle all day."

"Ya think you and I could hang out?" Piggeh asked his bro with a playful wink. "There's nothin' better to do 'round here."

"Thank you, Piggeh, but I'm very busy today." Mr. Chair returned to the table, candle in hand. "I have to re-light all these candles that have blown out, I'll need to re-organize these books once I've finished them, and later today I need to-."

"Oh, you can hold off on all that." Piggeh stretched. "Don't you ever do anything fun?"

"These things are too important for fun." Mr. Chair said.

"Not for me, they're not." Piggeh snickered. "Haven't 'ya ever thought about getting laid?"

Mr. Chair was appalled by his friend's rude question. Sure he'd seen a few female chairs around the castle before, but he was frankly too much of a gentleman to ever think about getting with them. The suggestion disgusted him and he took very heavy offence to it.

"No." Mr. Chair said sharply, shooting Piggeh an angry look. "I have not."

The sound of their personalities clashing was almost audible. Piggeh gave a short chuckle to try and clear the air. "Well," He said. "If 'ya ever change your mind, I've got tons of pick-up lines you can use. Most of 'em work like a charm!"

Mr. Chair shook his head in distain for Piggeh and turned his attention back to his books sitting on the table. "I'm sure learning sex tips from you would be very fun, Piggeh." He said sarcastically as he picked up the bookmarked manuscript on the table. "But I'd advise you to leave shortly."

"Aw c'mon, I'm not _that _bad, am I?" Piggeh grinned. He knew Mr. Chair and he didn't always get along, and they weren't exactly getting along now, but daily life in the barracks had indeed become very dull; and Piggeh needed the company of somebody other than a nightly partner to break the cycle of boredom he dealt with every day. Mr. Chair was the only bro he felt comfortable talking with anymore; after all, they both were in on the same secret. The only problem was Piggeh couldn't be as friendly to Mr. Chair as he was to Jennifer; Mr. Chair would always end up getting offended by Piggeh's attempts to be friendly and it would always end in an argument. Right now, it seemed as if history was about to repeat itself.

"It's not about that." Mr. Chair said, passing the book from one hand to the other in an attempt to calm his anger. "I would just assume you'd rather not be here when Jennifer comes in for her check-up."

"Her check-up's today?" Piggeh suddenly looked a bit concerned.

Mr. Chair nodded. "She should be showing up soon."

"I'd…better get going then." Piggeh suddenly seemed very uneasy, as if he were anxious to leave the room. "See 'ya."

Piggeh gave a quick wave goodbye and slipped around the bookshelf. Just as he was headed for the large double doors in the front of the room, Piggeh stopped cold. A sliver of light creaked into the room as one of the massive doors inched open wide enough to let a darkly dressed figure in. As the doors closed behind it, the figure now standing in the doorway of the poorly lit library stopped dead in her tracks as well.

"Umm…hey, Piggeh." Jennifer blushed as she nervously played with the ends of her hair.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Mr. Chair quietly pressed his lips together, feeling embarrassed simply by watching the situation. Piggeh couldn't help but smile for his friend, despite the awkwardness of everything that was going on.

"Hey there, Jen." Piggeh scratched his head uncomfortably. "…'Sup?"

There was a pause after that last word. Jennifer's darkly colored hair continued to twist between her fingers, but she returned Piggeh's smile to him. She couldn't explain why, but the familiar pangs of yesterday struck her once more. Jennifer had come intending on asking Mr. Chair about these very sensations, but being greeted at the door by Piggeh discouraged her plans. Despite the fact that the sight of her old friend triggered unsettling feelings, Jennifer was pleased to see Piggeh again; although it had only been a few days since she had left.

"I…wasn't expecting to see you here." Jennifer put on a small smile and released her grip on her hair, letting it fall back over her shoulders.

"Eh, just needed to spend some time away from the barracks." Piggeh said as he stretched his arm behind his back. "Mr. Chair's better than nothing, I guess."

"I heard that." Mr. Chair grumbled from the table.

"You were supposed to!" Piggeh called over his shoulder with a mischievous half-smile. "So," He turned back to Jennifer. "How's things outside the castle?"

"Great!" Jennifer rubbed her left forearm, half to warm her skin and half to occupy her wandering hands. "My brethren have been so accepting of everything; and because it's just me there, we don't have to worry about looking the part anymore. No one is asking any questions."

"Glad to hear your little scheme is turning out so well." Mr. Chair butted in as he approached his two other bros, eager to get down to business and once again be left to himself. "I think it's safe to say you're here for the usual routine, Jennifer?"

Jennifer readied her lips to ask Mr. Chair about her unexplained feelings, but a quick side-glance at Piggeh made her feel unable to utter the necessary words. She didn't know what, but something about being in the presence of her friend made her unable to do it. Instead of speaking, Jennifer simply nodded and followed Mr. Chair to a table by the heating stove. Piggeh turned to leave, but something of a morbid curiosity made him stop. He had never accompanied Jennifer to any of her check-ups before, previously having no interest in joining them; but now his innate pig curiosity was willing him to stay.

With Piggeh watching from across the room, Mr. Chair once more brought out his large manuscript and began his routine examination. Seizing Jennifer's arm, he applied the steady pressure that eventually allowed him to determine the rock girl's heart rate and blood pressure. After a moment or two, he released Jennifer's arm.

"Good." He said, almost to himself. "Very good."

Mr. Chair then proceeded to the next phase in the examination, and began feeling around Jennifer's abdomen in search for the separate heartbeat. In recent weeks he had been able to find the heartbeat much easier, as the size of the unborn had obviously grown. Whilst searching, Mr. Chair noticed Piggeh standing at a distance; the green clad man had forgotten he was there.

"You still here, Piggeh?" Mr. Chair called to the pink haired man.

Jennifer, having grown used to this rather invasive inspection, had been entertaining herself by flipping through the pages of a book lying open beside her on the table. Being so accustomed to Piggeh's absence during these times, she too had failed to realize he had been watching. Jennifer looked up from the book and shrank a bit from embarrassment when she saw Piggeh observing her.

"No, I was just on my way out." Piggeh said, realizing he was unwanted there. Normally this revelation would not have affected him much, but in truth he had never been involved in a pregnancy before and he had been uneasy about it right from the beginning. Once again he headed for the doors, seeming very keen to leave.

"Wait a minute, Piggeh." Jennifer's voice echoed in the hollowness of the library.

Piggeh looked over his shoulder just as he was about to grip the door handle. Jennifer motioned him over with her hand, a glimmer of excitement in her silver eyes.

"Come here," She said eagerly. "I want to show you something!"

Piggeh raised an eyebrow. Not sure what was going on, he cautiously crossed the room towards the table. It was one of the first times in his life he could remember being truly reluctant. Upon drawing closer to his friends, he was genuinely surprised when Jennifer reached out and took him by the wrist. Mr. Chair backed away, and Jennifer placed Piggeh's palm over a place on her abdomen where Mr. Chair's had indicated. Piggeh looked stunned, and a little frightened.

"What is that?" He asked in surprise.

"I asked the same thing the first time I felt it." Jennifer grinned timidly. "It's the baby's heartbeat."

"That's a _heartbeat_?" Piggeh looked astonished at the revelation.

"Yeah." Jennifer giggled slightly.

By sheer chance, the two friends happened to look at each other at the same moment. Their eyes met, and for a split second they seemed to share a moment of tenderness they had never experienced before; but just as quickly as it happened, it ended. Jennifer released Piggeh's wrist, and he withdrew his hand. Jennifer looked at the floor, blushing, and Piggeh seemed a bit more on edge than he had just a moment ago. Jennifer helped herself off the table and hastily made her way to the door, now _she_ seemed to be the one anxious to leave.

"Thank you, Mr. Chair." She said on her way out the library doors. "I'll see you next week."

Without so much as a backwards glance, Jennifer shut the doors behind her and was out of sight. Mr. Chair blinked in confusion, wondering what exactly he had just witnessed. He took a few steps towards Piggeh, who was leaning against the table quite irritably.

"What was _that_ all about?" He asked, looking towards the doors.

Piggeh turned his back on his friend and heatedly slipped behind a row of books, pretending he was interested in them. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said stubbornly.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The bone fragment clattered a few feet down the stone hallway before grinding to a noisy halt. Piggeh caught up to it with a few strides of his laid-back walk and nonchalantly kicked it a few more feet across the stones. Finding a half-chewed human femur in the flooded parts of the dungeon (the territory of the Kaernk) was nothing new to Piggeh, who had been down there many times on his own. In fact, the pink-haired man had taken advantage of the discovery and made the fragment of human remains into something of a toy, kicking it about as he aimlessly wandered the dungeon halls.

Every resident of the castle had their proper place; chairs were most comfortable in the residential wing, rocks were found most often in the garden, and even statues like Stephano were typically seen decorating the Banquet Hall or Study. The place for pigs, as Piggeh knew all too well, was the dungeon. Alexander had tossed them down there many years ago as food for his monstrous servants, so every day for them was a battle to remain breathing. This is why when he and Jennifer had shared living quarters, Piggeh had never wanted her to wander into the dungeon alone. She didn't have to grow up around the congregation of creatures it held, but he had.

Piggeh no longer felt any fear when he roamed the dark passageways below Brennenburg; the shock value had worn off long ago when he was young. He hardly ever entered the dungeon, but whenever he did it was usually for a change of scenery; the threats and perils of the shadowy labyrinth were no matter to him. Being born and raised in the underbelly of the castle had its advantages; Piggeh knew how to detect the approach of a Gatherer from chambers away, and over time he had learned where the best hiding places were. Still, these advantages did not mean he would toss caution to the wind as he roamed from room to room in the dungeon's abyss.

A short scurrying sound prompted Piggeh to stop suddenly. His folded ears perked up a bit as he focused his hearing, listening for the sound to happen again. Piggeh remained like this for a breathless moment, then jumped slightly as a rat scampered out from behind a crate and vanished into an open room. Just as Piggeh let his guard down with a silent sigh of relief, he was tackled from behind and roughly pinned to the ground. Fight or flight instinct possessed his mind, and Piggeh took a blind swing at his assailant.

"Cool it, Julius, it's me!" A nasally voice came from the person holding Piggeh down with their body weight.

Piggeh's ears flattened at the sound of his real name. Upon hearing it he knew exactly who was sitting on his back. "Get off me, Rudolph."

The other male pig energetically leapt off of Piggeh's backside. Piggeh pulled himself off the floor, and was immediately trapped in a headlock by the slightly smaller man.

"God, I'm so stoked to see 'ya again!" Rudolph laughed loudly as he tugged playfully on Piggeh's ears. The smaller man's purple shirt was rotted almost completely off his body; and not much more could be said about his limbs, which were all so mutilated that one of his arms was being held by a mere scrap of flesh to the rest of him. His hair was a darker shade of pink that almost looked red, either that or it was stained with blood.

Piggeh couldn't help but smile widely at his old friend's antics, remembering similar times when they had played together as children. Wrestling his way out of the headlock, Piggeh gave his childhood playmate a slap on the back.

"How long has it been?" He asked, maintaining his smile. "It's awesome to see you too!" Piggeh glanced around in search for his other friends who still resided in the dungeon. "Are Adolf and Gandalf around?"

"Yeh, they're around." Rudolf hopped onto an overturned table sitting nearby. "So what's been goin' on with you?"

"I've been doin' alright." Piggeh stretched sensually against the wall. "Been practicing the 'Piggeh Slide'."

"You're still doin' that?" Rudolph asked, remembering the many wild parties their group of friends had thrown in the past. "Does it still work?"

"Oh, yeh…it still works." Piggeh put on what he thought was a pleasing smile and winked.

Rudolph furrowed his scarred brow at Piggeh, as if he had just realized something was wrong. Piggeh had no idea why his old friend was giving him such a concerned look, but he soon found out.

"Are you okay, Piggeh?" Rudolph asked.

"What the heck do 'ya mean 'Am I okay'?" Piggeh raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine!"

"It's just weird." Rudolph shrugged, looking a bit disappointed. "'Ya just don't seem as pumped as 'ya used to be."

"What 'ya talking 'bout?" Piggeh asked with a smirk. "I'm so freakin' pumped!"

"Not really." Rudolph snickered, now starting to mock his friend. "The Piggeh _I_ remember was so pumped, he was hardly able to stand still. Now you're just kinda standin' there, so what gives?"

Piggeh had been unaware that his "pumped" levels were as low as Rudolph was saying. True he had been feeling oddly irritated ever since his run-in with Jennifer the other day, but he never thought it was affecting him _that_ much. Actually, come to think of it, maybe it was. That was the whole reason he had been walking through the dungeon in the first place. He had tried to start his day off right by getting lucky with a random resident of the castle, but he had found himself too irritated to bring out his usual Piggeh charisma. He had decided a few thrills in the dungeon would help him clear his head, but now it seemed that his problem was much more obvious than he thought.

"Nothin' gives." Piggeh said, not wanting to give full details of his ordeal. "I've just not been myself, 'ya know? I just feel like something's different; like something changed and I don't like it."

Rudolph chuckled. "I hear 'ya, man." He said. "I sorta felt like that the first time I met Jens, but I-." The purple-shirted man paused and gave a sly smile in Piggeh's direction.

"…What?" Even Piggeh was a tad unnerved by his old friend's prying stare.

"Have you met someone, Piggeh?" Rudolph winked.

Piggeh laughed about as hard as he could, actually losing his balance and falling to the floor in laughter. "That's a good one." He said after he regained some of his breath back. "You know me better than that, Rudy. It's impossible for me to 'meet someone'." Piggeh found the idea of relationships boring, so the mere implication that he was in one was enough to send him into a laughing fit.

"Yeh, that _was_ a stupid question." Rudolph shrugged. "In that case, I got nothin' for 'ya."

Another sound down the dark hallway caught the men's attentions. For a second Piggeh thought it was either Adolf or Gandalf coming to join them, but the sound was not the scurrying Rudolph had caused. The sound of rusty metal scraping across stone indicated immediately that a Gatherer was around the corner, sending a chill through the pair of childhood friends. Rudolph leapt off the table as a low growl echoed out of the dark. As the scraping sound grew closer, Rudolph quickly dove into the nearby open room and peered out from behind the threshold.

"That's my cue to go." Piggeh whispered to his old playmate.

"But what about Adolf and Gandalf?" Rudolph whispered in response. "Don't 'ya wanna see them again?"

"Maybe some other time." Piggeh whispered as he began to slink away. "Tell them I said 'Hi'. See ya, Rudy."

He didn't speak it, but Piggeh was thankful the Gatherer had halted their conversation. He didn't want to think about his issues any more than he needed to. Rudolph's dim-witted question made him chuckle quietly as he sneaked away from the creature around the corner. It was still laughable, the idea of him going after just one person. That's what Jennifer did, and he saw where exactly it got the _both_ of them. No, it was impossible for him to fall for anyone. Besides he hadn't met anyone out of the norm, or at least anyone who he remembered the day after. In fact, for the past couple months, he'd pretty much been around no one but Jennifer.

Yep, he hadn't met anyone at all.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Darkness in the garden was nothing like darkness in the castle. In the castle darkness meant danger, a cover for the unholy creatures that prowled the hallways to hide in; but in the garden darkness meant peace, a time for crickets to chirp their songs and fireflies to dot the air like stars. The flowers closed their petals and waited for the warmth of morning to come, but winter was fast approaching and the mornings were growing colder by the sunrise. Soon the frost would come, and that summer's generation of flowers would perish. The rocks, however, refused to follow them. Only a few weeks had past since the first cold winds blew, and already the group had stored enough seeds to replant the garden after the thaw. Along with seeds, they had stored up months' worth of food and had weaved nearly all the heavy clothing needed to wear during the harsh season ahead.

Having spent countless hours preparing for winter, the past few days had been quiet and slow for the rocks. They knew the warm summer days would not last much longer, so they had been enjoying every sunny moment they were given. Now, at the end of another fleeting summer day, they all slept underneath the canopy of the old apple tree. Huddled close together for warmth, the group slumbered in the peaceful, cricket-filled darkness only the garden could provide.

Amidst them, surrounded by the soft glow of the fireflies, Jennifer rested against the cool earth. Her sleep was sound, despite the fact that she had tossed and turned for several minutes before finally finding a pose that was comfortable. That night's rest was a welcome thing for Jennifer, as sleep was becoming harder for her to obtain as the weeks passed. Right now nothing mattered to her as her mind waded through the void of sleep, empty of all thoughts and sensations. Empty, that is, until a very strong sensation caused her mind to fall back into consciousness.

Jennifer woke with a start, the adrenaline from an unknown source of surprise causing her eyes to fly open. She blinked the blur out of her eyes, allowing time for her nerves to settle before sitting up slightly. She tilted a cautious ear to her surroundings, but nothing in the garden stirred; the only sound there was to be heard were the crickets. Jennifer looked about, but all she could see were the outlines of her brethren who lay sleeping beside her. There was absolutely no threat present.

Thinking her insomnia must have woken her, Jennifer lowered her head down; surrendering her clouded mind to sleep once more. No sooner had she drifted off, she was awake again; only this time she was fully aware why. A small fluttering movement brushed against her insides, bringing Jennifer to full alertness. At first a sense of fear gripped her as the strange fluttering continued, but then the rock girl remembered something Mr. Chair had told her during one of her most recent visits:

"_You'll probably start to feel the baby kicking within these next couple weeks."_

Jennifer sat herself up and glanced down at her stomach which, being in her sixth month of pregnancy, was visible even under the large black maternity shirt the other females had made for her. "Is this what he was talking about?" She wondered.

Curious, Jennifer placed her hand over her stomach; which she for the most part had been ignoring all these months. The tiny tremors underneath her palm were strong, much stronger than the little heartbeat Jennifer was so used to, but were not enough to hurt her. In fact, they almost tickled.

Jennifer started to giggle at the feeling, but she bit her lip to stop herself from waking her brethren. Suddenly, her attention was drawn high above the garden to a window in the castle wall. Every other window was dark, but this one window held a swaying yellow light behind its glass. Jennifer beamed, recognizing instantly the light of the lantern Pewdie carried. It was rare he came to the castle this late at night, but it did happen every now and again. Jennifer kept her silver eyes drawn upward, watching the light move back and forth across the glass windowpane. She sat there watching for a moment or two, when she suddenly had a startling revelation; she didn't have any desire to go after the light she was watching.

This realization had Jennifer taken aback. She knew Pewdie was there, but she wasn't going after him. Jennifer of course knew she _couldn't_ go after him, but this was different…she didn't _want_ to go after him. Jennifer's heart and mind both began to race; she didn't want to believe herself, but the more she searched for the willpower to pursue her love, the less she found it. This wasn't like her at all. From the very moment she had met Pewdie she'd wanted to follow him wherever she could no matter what the risk, but now…she felt nothing of the sort.

Jennifer felt her irises sting with salty tears. Had she spent so much time away from Pewdie that she had fallen out of love with him? No, this couldn't be true! It just couldn't be! Pewdie was the only one that made her life worth living, and he would always be. Her love for him was the whole reason she was enduring this secret pregnancy, so that she may forget about it and go on hoping he would someday love her in return. To lose him would be to lose everything she ever loved.

A tear fell from Jennifer's eye and landed on the curve of her belly. As if it had felt it, the baby delivered a solid kick to Jennifer's ribs. The rock girl winced in pain, and for the first time actually spoke to the presence inside her.

"Don't you dare get angry at me." Jennifer whispered harshly to her midsection. "_You're_ the one who started this mess! _You're_ the reason I've had to stay away from him! It's _your_ fault this happened!"

Jennifer angrily wiped the tears from her eyes and watched as the lantern light faded from the room, leaving the windowpane just as dark as the others. As Jennifer continued to stare up at the dark window as she wept, a radical idea slowly brewed in her mind. Maybe her desire wasn't gone, maybe it was just hidden somewhere deep down; deep down where she had forgotten about it in the time she'd spent with her brethren. Yes, that must be it! It wasn't gone, it was just hiding; and in Jennifer's eyes, the only way to find it again…was to see Pewdie one more time.

Despite the risks and the memory of what happened the last time she had seen Pewdie, Jennifer made the decision right then and there. She wasn't going to lose Pewdie, she'd die before she'd let that happen. Upset, hormonal, and desperate; Jennifer grabbed onto a low-hanging branch of the apple tree and hoisted her top heavy body onto its feet.

Wherever Pewdie was, she'd find hm. She wouldn't make the same mistakes she had made last time, but all she needed was just one more look at him; just one more glance to rekindle the flame before it was dead. Jennifer's heart pounded with anxiety as she tried to shove the nagging thought of _"You've lost him" _out of her head. She would prove her thoughts wrong. She _hadn't_ lost him! She wouldn't let herself!

As Jennifer quietly unlatched the garden door, the fluttering kicks retuned. Jennifer grimaced, the sensation was no longer pleasant; it was now just a painful reminder of the horrible situation she was in.

"I wish I didn't have to deal with you anymore." Jennifer snarled at the unborn. Her calm, quiet demeanor was completely gone. She had never been so angry in her life, and she would never be this angry again. "I hate you!"

The three words Jennifer never thought she would ever say to anyone in the Bro Army, and she had just said them to someone who wasn't even born yet. Jennifer threw open the door and abandoned her sleeping brethren, stepping out into the pitch blackness of the castle in search of a certain source of light.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Shadows clung to the walls like cobwebs, limiting visibility in the endless hallways of Brennenburg. Even with sparse torches lighting the way here and there, the darkness seemed to have a mind of its own and refused to surrender to the light. Jennifer let the thick, inky blackness stain her eyesight as she quickly searched the halls, peeking around every corner and opening every door in the hopes of finding the one she was after. She was walking blind, both physically and mentally, through the twisting corridors and passageways of the castle with only one goal in mind: Find Pewdie.

Her heart still pounded with anxiety and fear, the voice still repeating in her head over and over again; _"You've lost him. You've lost him."_ One look, that's all she needed. That's all she _desperately_ needed, was one more look at him; just so she could convince herself her heart still burned for him. If the flame was to ever die, she was convinced so would she. Just one rekindling glance, and then she would stay away. This, the rock girl swore.

The shadows of the castle yielded no source of light, keeping what they concealed a secret. Jennifer slowed her step, the awful thought occurring to her that Pewdie had possibly left the castle. Before hope could be lost, however, a faint murmur captured Jennifer's attention. The sound was faint, but the clarity of it suggested it was further down a hallway around the corner. Jennifer headed down the hallway the murmur seemed to be coming from, and once she had gained her bearings she realized that this particular hallway was hauntingly familiar.

This hallway Jennifer found herself traveling down was the ominous hallway that led to the door of the dungeon. It was in this same hallway that she had had her close call with Pewdie just months prior, and the memory came flooding back to give her an extra shiver of uneasiness. As the hallway's end drew nearer and nearer, the soft murmuring gradually became louder until it was a clear and unmistakable voice. There was now no doubt that it belonged to Pewdie, talking to himself as he embarked on another adventure into the unknown. There was one thing about the voice, though, that caused Jennifer to hesitate about following it. It was coming from behind a door…the door that led to the dungeon.

Jennifer paused in front of the cast iron door, contemplating her next move. Pewdie's voice was just beyond the door, but that same door sealed away the nightmarish monsters that Brennenburg had become known for; for someone like her to enter it was practically a death wish. Piggeh had never liked it when Jennifer wandered there in the past, but she had always been able to fend for herself. Now six months along in a pregnancy, Jennifer shuddered to think of what little she could do if the worst were to occur. Jennifer barely had time to consider the looming risks of the situation before the muffled sound of Pewdie's voice began growing fainter, making the decision to follow for her.

Instantly forgetting the danger she was putting herself in, Jennifer quietly unlatched the iron door and creaked its rusty hinges open. Immediately the foul stench of the stale dungeon air surrounded her, making her gag a bit as she quickly descended the winding staircase to the mist-covered floor below. Jennifer paused at the bottom of the staircase, cautiously looking around. The icy air nipped at her skin, and she breathed lightly into her hands to warm them. There was no one in sight, and the only sound Jennifer could hear was the unsettling sound of air passing through the cave-like walls of the dungeon. Then suddenly, from within the abyss, the echo of Pewdie's voice rang faintly through the halls. Jennifer immediately perked up upon hearing it, and after a second of determining which way it was coming from she quickly made her way towards it.

Endlessly the hallways bent and curved in front of her, the labyrinth slowly swallowing her up with each corner she turned. Relentlessly following the distant echo that never seemed to come any closer, Jennifer eventually lost her bearings and began thoughtlessly following the sound of her love's voice. On and on, never once stopping for a proper breath, the young rock girl kept moving forward. Despite her efforts, the sound of the voice grew dimmer and dimmer until it finally faded into silence. Jennifer stopped abruptly, desperately listening for the faintest murmur of sound; but once again all there was to be heard was the low sigh of drafts in the walls.

"Please say something." Jennifer begged in her mind, lightly swiping a glimmer of sweat off her forehead. "Say something!"

But her prayers were never answered. The hallways mocked her with their silence, making Jennifer's anger bubble up in her again. She let out a fierce growl of frustration and rage, and with one abnormally strong swing of her foot she kicked over a candelabra sitting against the wall. The heavy metal object crashed against the stone floor with a startlingly loud clang that roared down the hallway as it echoed. Jennifer, enraged still, grabbed a tinderbox off a nearby crate and hurled it across the room. The small tin box hit the wall and shattered, spilling its flammable contents and becoming useless.

Still not satisfied, Jennifer picked up an urn (the heaviest object she could manage). She poised herself to throw it but her blood suddenly ran cold, freezing up her muscles. A sound echoed through the hall, breaking the eerie silence, but it was not the sound Jennifer had been hoping to hear. A low, gurgling, raspy snarl could be heard just around the corner. All of Jennifer's rage and frustration drained away along with the color in her face as something began dragging itself across the floor, gurgling and snarling all the while.

Slowly dragging one bad leg behind itself, the deformed outline of a Grunt appeared in the hallway behind Jennifer. Even in sheer darkness, Jennifer could see the glisten of the Gatherer's powerful metallic claws. The creature inched forward, having heard the racket coming from the corridor and knowing prey must be somewhere close by.

Jennifer remained perfectly still, hoping the dull witted creature would lose interest and move on. At first, that's exactly what seemed to be happening. The half-blind Gatherer, after taking a few quick glances, swung its massive body around and began trudging away back down the hall. Jennifer let out a soft sigh of relief, letting her tense body relax; but unfortunately, she seemed to let her body relax too much. Her hands, holding the sides of the heavy urn in preparation to throw, somehow lost their grip on the smooth marble object. The urn shattered at her feet, covering the floor in the fine grey ashes of some poor forgotten soul.

Jennifer's eyes grew wide as the creature spun around. She tightly shut her eyes, hoping the creature wouldn't see her; but a blood curdling roar made her pounding heart skip a beat. The rock girl's eyes flew open just in time to see the creature charging full-tilt in her direction; claws raised and ready to strike.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Jennifer stood petrified, looking very much like a deer in headlights, as the nightmarish creature lunged for her. Then, at the last possible minute, the instinct took hold of her; the instinct every inhabitant of the castle had and knew very well: Run! Jennifer ducked out of the monster's reach just as it swiped its massive claws at her, causing the air to ring as they struck solid stone with a spark.

Jennifer took off as fast as she could down the opposite hallway; which, considering the extra weight she was carrying, was not very fast. Every thought of finding Pewdie evaporated from her mind as she fled in terror, hearing the deep roars and snarls of the Grunt as it immediately chased after her. Everything blurred together. To make up for what she lacked in speed, Jennifer began knocking objects in the path of her attacker as she ran; desperately hoping it would slow it down. Alexander's servant proved to be too powerful for this tactic and continued to charge forward, quickly closing in on the helpless rock girl.

Jennifer began to grow weaker, her energy sapped by the overwhelming task of escaping in her condition. Her pace began to slow, though she kept willing her legs to carry her faster; and little by little she fell further into the bloodthirsty maw of the monster. In a frantic attempt to evade the creature, Jennifer dove into an open prison cell and slammed the door behind her. She scrambled to the far wall and pressed her back against it, trying to catch her rapid breath.

Jennifer cringed as a jolting bang shook the door. Just beyond the decaying wood she could see the Gatherer slamming its shoulder into the door, trying to force its way in. Jennifer felt trapped, like a caged animal waiting for a predator to have its way with it; and she hid her face in her hands to await the inevitable. Jennifer's body shook in pure terror as she heard the sound of the door crashing off its hinges; her fate was sealed.

The horrific sounds of the Grunt rapidly drew closer. Jennifer kept her eyes shut tight as she faced the wall, not wanting to see the end coming; but morbid curiosity made her open an eye just as four metallic claws ripped through the air. The force of the blow slammed the rock girl against the wall, and her scream filled the cell as the claws sliced ragged wounds into her right shoulder. The creature struck again mercilessly, carving out four more gashes just below the others. Jennifer's body was hurled to the ground, and she let out a short yelp as her head hit the hard stones.

The Grunt loomed over her, its weapons now dripping with a thick red fluid. Jennifer closed her eyes and went limp, playing dead for the sake of staying alive. She lay perfectly still, holding her breath to make it seem as if she truly was dead. The creature looked her over for what felt like a century, and then at long last lost interest in her lifeless body. The monster dragged itself out of the cell, and after a few minutes the sound of its deformed footsteps vanished.

Jennifer released her breath, but still remained motionless. Her body was paralyzed, wracked with so much pain that it refused to move. All she could do was take short, shallow breaths as the immense pain assaulted her.

"Why did I go after him?" She thought as she lay there suffering, her pain seeming to give her a moment of clarity. "Why did I follow him down here? … Was he worth it?"

Jennifer's vision began to darken as her mind wandered, and she felt herself beginning to slip away. Just as she accepted her fate, however, she noticed a pool of dark red seeping into her range of vision. All at once everything changed. Jennifer's eyes widened and a chocked gasp escaped her throat. Seeing the blood everywhere suddenly made the situation very real, and the rock girl knew now how badly she was hurt. Of all the urgent thoughts that could've manifested at a time like this, only one formed in Jennifer's mind. A hand flew to her stomach on its own will, and a voice that hardly seemed to be her own whispered; "My baby!"

Jennifer was taken completely by surprise. She hadn't once thought of the baby while she was running for her life from the monster, and she certainly hadn't thought of it as she carelessly strolled into the depths of the dungeon. Yet still, Jennifer was aware that there was another life inside of her; and now she had realized that that life was in danger. Jennifer's heart began to pound as suddenly every concern she had for herself went to her baby. Her baby didn't deserve to die, it was innocent!

Jennifer's mind raced with panicked thoughts, every event of the past six months leading up to this moment flashing before her eyes. A third wound pierced her square in the chest as she remembered and regretted the words she had spoken to the unborn not one hour prior. Jennifer knew she couldn't give in to the temptation of death, because she knew doing so would seal more than just her own fate. She needed to find help, for the sake of her baby.

Her energy exhausted and her veins half empty, Jennifer pulled every last remaining thread of strength she had together and managed to sit herself up. Gripping onto a chain dandling from the wall, Jennifer gritted her teeth as she pulled her heavy body up to stand despite the unbelievable pain coursing through her mangled shoulder. She took a few timid yet determined steps towards the broken door, but stumbled and had to catch herself on the threshold. Grimacing in pain, Jennifer slowly inched her way through the halls, in search for the allusive exit.

Several agonizing minutes of roaming the dungeon halls proved useless, and Jennifer was beginning to feel herself lose consciousness again. Leaning sturdily against the mildew covered wall, Jennifer stopped for a rest; cringing in pain as more blood dripped out of her open wounds.

"Hey, you." An unfamiliar voice called out as Jennifer stopped.

Jennifer, her mind seriously starting to fade, opened her eyes and noticed someone approaching her. Thinking it to be another Gatherer of some sort, Jennifer swung her arm at it fiercely.

"Get away from me!" She cried. "Get away! Please don't hurt my baby!"

"I'm not here to hurt 'ya." The strange figure said.

Jennifer noticed something familiar about the way this person spoke. Blinking through the haze in her eyes, she saw why. The half-rotted outline of a small male pig clad in purple stood before her, a genuinely horrified look on his face.

"My name's Rudolph." The male explained. "Lady, you look hurt real bad. I'm here to help 'ya is all."

Jennifer sighed in relief, but was too exhausted to smile. "Can you…show me the way…out of here?"

"Sure thing, lady." Rudolph said, carefully taking Jennifer by the hand. "I'll take 'ya straight there."

"Thank…you." Jennifer mumbled as the male led her quickly away in the direction of the exist.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

If there was anything good Piggeh could've said about living in the storage barracks, it was that the wine Alexander kept down there was excellent. As the dry liquid spilled down his throat, the undead young man pulled his sleeves tighter around his skin. Winter was just around the corner, and the barracks were known to drop below freezing during the iciest months of the year. Piggeh knew this winter would be the coldest for him without anyone to huddle next to for warmth, and he was hoping getting a little tipsy would warm his blood.

Piggeh casually set the half-empty glass bottle next to him on the floor. Sighing deeply, he ran a hand through his hair and rested his back against the wall. Spending all this recent time alone had thrown him into a slight depression. He was a person who craved company, and being confined to solitude was not something he enjoyed. Minus the occasional run-in with Pewdie and Stephano, as well as a visit to Mr. Chair here and there, Piggeh was alone in the barracks most days. Even his nightly "outings" had begun to dwindle as his naturally high spirits continued to lower.

The pink haired man sat and waited for the alcohol to go to his head, but his accumulated tolerance for the stuff slowed things down some. He was just reaching for a second swig from the bottle when the sound of the secret passageway opening from the dungeon demanded his attention. This was alarming enough, but the sound that came immediately after was the one that made a knot form in the young man's chest:

"Piggeh!"

The familiar voice of his best bro crying out for him had Piggeh up in an instant. In a flash he was down the hall and turning into the room he knew the hidden doorway was in; and was completely shocked at what he saw. Standing by the now-closed entrance to the passageway was Jennifer; barely awake and holding herself up on Rudolph's thin frame. Rudolph was clearly flustered, stumbling to support Jennifer as he looked around uncertainly; as if confused what to do.

Piggeh didn't notice them right off; the first thing he saw as he rounded the corner…was the blood. It soaked Jennifer's entire blouse and coated a good portion of her pants. Normally it would've been hard to see it against the black fabric of her clothing, but the sheer amount of it now made her clothes glisten a dark red.

"Oh my _God_!" Piggeh cried as he sprinted nearer. "What happened?! Jen, can 'ya hear me?!"

Jennifer managed to hold her eyes open enough to speak, still wavering in her words as she struggled to remain conscious. "I followed Pewdie…down into… the dungeon. There was as Grunt…and…he…"

That was when Piggeh noticed the source of all the blood: the large open slashes in Jennifer's shoulder and back; he turned pale at the sight. "Wh-What should we do?!" He asked Rudolph frantically.

Rudolph didn't say anything; he just shrugged and shook his head, acting just as frightened as Piggeh.

"Take me…to the library." Jennifer mumbled.

"Right," Piggeh said, knowing exactly what Jennifer meant. "Mr. Chair can help you, he'll know what to do!"

"I don't care…about me." Jennifer said woozily as she stumbled a bit more against Rudolph. She laid a hand on her swollen abdomen. "All I care about…is my baby."

Piggeh was astonished; he'd _never_ before heard Jennifer refer to the baby as "hers". In too much of a panic to dwell on it for more than a second, Piggeh immediately gathered Jennifer into his arms; carrying her bridal-style. Without another glance towards Rudolph, Piggeh took off running down the corridor with Jennifer; finding her help the only thing on his mind.

Racing up the stairs and through the hallway lined with Untrustable Statues, Piggeh finally made it to the safety of the Back Hall. By now Jennifer's blood was beginning to drench his right sleeve, and as he walked towards the fountain he looked down at his friend and noticed she was practically unconscious. He knelt down on the rim of the fountain pool and gently settled Jennifer down on it.

"Hey, Jen?" Piggeh said, still in a bit of a panic. He ran his fingers through the rock girl's hair, which still proved to be a foolproof way to wake her. "'Ya need to stay awake, okay? I'll be right back, just hang on!"

With that, Piggeh wasted no time sprinting behind the grand staircase and throwing open the heavy library doors. Mr. Chair was sitting not far away at a desk when Piggeh entered, reading a book by candlelight as per usual. The bookworm looked up from his reading, sensing that something was wrong just by looking at his bro.

"Piggeh?" Mr. Chair asked in his nasally voice, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "What's the matter?"

"It's Jen!' Piggeh panted, half out of breath. "I don't know what happened, but she's hurt real bad! Please, you're the only one who can help!"

Mr. Chair didn't even bother bookmarking his place as he slammed his book shut and urgently sprang to his feet. He knew that no matter what, the Bro Army looked after each other; and that was a fact.

"Where is she?" He asked.

Piggeh motioned for Mr. chair to follow him, and in moments they were at the fountain. Jennifer seemed to be in even worse shape than before; her lips were turning white and her blood was beginning to pool around her where she lay, some of it even spilling into the clear fountain pool. She was awake, but just barely.

"Piggeh?" She asked hoarsely when she heard her friends coming closer.

"Shhh, it's alright." Piggeh said as he carefully sat the rock girl up, sitting down next to her to support her shoulders.

Mr. Chair was _not_ one for stressful situations; and he began trembling as soon as he saw the amount of blood. Despite this, he was able to keep himself calm enough to immediately sit on the opposite side of Jennifer and begin inspecting her wounds. Without saying a word he leapt up and rushed into the kitchen, returning shortly after with a few pieces of cloth. The scrawny chair quickly washed out the ghastly wounds with the fountain water and began pressing the cloths against them to stop the rapid bleeding.

Piggeh kept stroking Jennifer's hair through this, trying to keep her calm, but she still seemed frightened and upset. Jennifer weakly looked over her shoulder at Mr. Chair as he attempted to stop her blood loss.

"Is the baby okay?" She asked.

"We need to focus on stopping your bleeding first." Mr. Chair said, pressing the cloth harder against her skin.

It wasn't long before Jennifer's wounds stopped spilling her lifeblood, and Mr. Chair tossed the reddened cloths aside and started tearing up rags to dress the gashes in. As the rags were being applied, Jennifer nervously looked up at Piggeh.

"Do you think the baby's alright?" She asked him, her silver eyes reflecting her anxiousness.

Piggeh bit his tongue inside his mouth. He had no idea how to answer her; he didn't want to lie and give her false hope, but he didn't want to tell her how the situation truly looked. "I don't know." He said softly. "We'll have to wait and see."

After what felt like hours, Mr. Chair finally pressed on the last rag bandage and announced that he was finished.

"The wounds aren't serious." He said, sounding relieved the ordeal was over. "They aren't very deep, but you still lost a lot of blood. Luckily they should heal in a few weeks' time as long as you rest up someplace safe."

"Is the baby alright?" Jennifer repeated her question as if she hadn't even heard what Mr. Chair had said.

"Let me see." Mr. Chair said.

The green clad man knelt down in front of Jennifer and started his regular routine, moving his hands tactfully around her abdomen. At first he looked collected, but as the routine check-up went on Mr. Chair slowly began looking more and more disturbed until he abruptly stopped. Terror gripping her, Jennifer spoke up shakily;

"What's wrong?"

Mr. Chair didn't answer her right away, instead slowly taking his hands away and staring bewildered into space. He gulped quietly, as if his mouth had suddenly gone dry, and he answered palely: "I…can't find the heartbeat."

Upon hearing the devastating news, Jennifer buried her face in Piggeh's shirt and began to cry.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

The sunrise did little to chase away the air of somberness that hung inside the corridors of Brennenburg. It wasn't like the castle was ever a cheerful place to begin with, but that morning the heavy atmosphere of unhappiness seemed to cling to the walls like dew. Not everyone in the castle felt the effects of this heaviness, however; only a small handful of friends were aware it was even there, and each one of them were silent that rare sunlit morning. Piggeh took refuge in the safety of the Back Hall, watching the fountain water ripple with the cool early winter drafts. His mind drifted back to the events of last night, and he cringed at the memory of Jennifer's blood seeping into the clear pool. Quickly he shook his head to clear his mind, and instead tried to focus on something else. The Back Hall was unnaturally quiet; normally small little ambient sounds could be heard in the hollow, echoing room, but not today.

Mr. Chair had locked himself away in the library hours ago, and Piggeh had the gut feeling he didn't want to be disturbed. Piggeh wouldn't have wanted to visit him anyway, for today he was experiencing a first. For the first time in his living memory, Piggeh genuinely wanted to be left alone. It was hard for even him to believe, but it was true. Piggeh slipped his hands into his pockets and aimlessly paced the marble floor. Try as he might, his thoughts kept returning to what had happened before sunrise. He remembered the sheer sense of panic he felt when he had seen how badly Jennifer was hurt, and he realized how much he owed to Rudolph for helping her escape the dungeon; if it hadn't been for him, she might have…Piggeh didn't want to think about it.

The undead young man paused his pacing a moment to run a hand through his hair. After they had patched her up, Mr. Chair and Piggeh had found Jennifer a room in the more up kept sections of the residential wing. That was where she had been resting ever since, in the hopes that her injuries would heal within the next few weeks. Piggeh hadn't gone to see her yet; she was taking the loss of the baby very hard, and he was giving her some much needed space. Although he didn't dare show it, Piggeh was finding himself just as torn up about the loss as Jennifer was. It made him feel internally weak to be grieving over something he had barely acknowledged was there, but it was just so complicated! There was just something about it all that triggered a deep sadness in him; perhaps it was simply the idea of an innocent life being lost, or perhaps it was the idea that he had created that innocent life in the first place. Whatever it was, there was no way to go back and change it.

Piggeh's attention was suddenly turned from his thoughts to the door leading to the barracks. Rudolph poked his head into the room and half-grinned at his old friend.

"Hey." Rudolph said just as halfhearted as his grin.

"Hey." Piggeh said with a sigh. "What are you doin' up here?"

Rudolph shut the door behind himself. "I, uh, I heard about what happened last night."

Piggeh looked at his friend in surprise and alarm. "You did? Who told you? Does anyone else know?"

Rudolph shrugged sheepishly. "I…sorta listened in on 'ya guys from behind the door." Rudolph motioned to the door he had just entered from. "But relax, I figured this whole thing was some sorta secret, so no one else knows; not even Adolf and Gandalf."

Piggeh let out a long sigh of relief, resting his weary hand on the back of his neck.

"So…how come 'ya never told us?" Rudolph asked, looking a tad dejected under his corny half-smile.

"I couldn't." Piggeh admitted with a one-shouldered shrug. "C'mon, Rudolph, you know me. Do you think anyone would've wanted some action with me if they knew I'd let _this_ happen?"

"Probably not," Rudolph admitted. "But 'ya could've told me and the boys. 'Ya remember the stuff we used to get away with when we were kids? We could've helped 'ya with this."

"It's more than that," Piggeh said, sitting down at the edge of the fountain. "We've been hiding from the bros, too. Mainly 'cause Jen has a thing for Pewds and she didn't want him to find out. We were planning on giving the kid to her family so it would be out of our hair."

"So…what will you do now?" Rudolph asked.

"I guess…" Piggeh paused to sigh again. "I guess we go back to normal. At least now this whole thing is over."

Rudolph nodded and after a moment of what seemed like hesitation, he plopped down next to Piggeh on the fountain. "I _knew_ you'd met someone." He grinned knowingly.

Piggeh raised an eyebrow at the smaller man. "Huh?"

Rudolph gave a sly chuckle. "She's the one, isn't she? That rock girl, 'Jennifer' is it? She's the one 'ya met, right?"

"Wha-?! No!" Piggeh loudly objected. "Jen and I have known each other for years; she's my friend…my bro!"

"Then how the heck did she get like _that_?" Rudolph was clearly enjoying pestering his friend.

"She wanted to make Pewdie jealous," Piggeh explained, still sounding a little defensive. "I just helped her out a little."

"Okay, if 'ya say so." Rudolph smirked. "Just seems to me you're treating her a little different than your other one night stands. Think about it, Piggeh; how often have you ever slept with someone , even someone you knew, and ever paid them the time of day again?"

Rudolph got up and left the Back Hall without another word, leaving Piggeh in a state of deep thought. Piggeh brushed off Rudolph's words at first, but the more he dwelled on them the more he realized the weight they carried. Rudolph was right. He was absolutely right. Never before had Piggeh ever defiled an inhabitant of the castle and then ever seen them again.

Piggeh's mind began to travel through the course of the past six months; all the events leading up to this moment passing before his eyes. As one-by-one the memories presented themselves, Piggeh began to see just how great those last six months had been. He hadn't ever thought of it as it was happening; but spending all that extra time with Jennifer, caring for her, and even meeting her family for the first time were all very meaningful to him. He knew he'd never done _anything_ like that for _anyone_ before, he had just never realized it as it was happening.

Rudolph's words echoed in Piggeh's head: _"I knew you'd met someone."_ Well at that moment Piggeh knew that Rudolph was wrong. He hadn't met someone…he'd known her all along. Piggeh immediately stood to his feet and headed for the grand staircase, figuring it was about time to visit an old friend of his.


End file.
